Rahul Gandhi after challenging conviction in Surat court: ‘In this struggle…’

Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the truth was his weapon and support in the “fight to save democracy”, shortly after a sessions court in Surat admitted his plea against conviction in the 2019 criminal defamation case that saw him expelled from the Parliament. The court extended his bail till April 13, the next date of hearing on the plea.

“This is a fight to save democracy, against 'Mitrakal'. In this struggle, truth is my weapon, and truth is my support!” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, taking a dig at the ruling BJP which the Congress party labels as a government ‘only benefitting the rich’.

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Party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi also shared Rahul’s tweet, quoting poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar in a show of support for her brother. ““सूरमा नहीं विचलित होते, क्षण एक नहीं धीरज खोते, विघ्नों को गले लगाते हैं, काँटों में राह बनाते हैं। (Warriors do not get distracted, do not lose patience for a moment, they embrace the obstacles, make a way through thorns.)” Priyanka tweeted.

Earlier today, the disqualified Wayanad MP reached Surat, accompanied by several Congress leaders including his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, to file an appeal in a sessions court against his conviction in the ‘Modi surname’ remark case. The complainant, Punesh Modi, who shares the prime minister’s surname, accused Gandhi of defamation over a 2019 speech in Karnataka’s Kolar in which he asked, “Why do all thieves have Modi as their surname?” The lower court in Surat convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years in jail.

Rahul has challenged his conviction in an appellate court, hoping to overturn a judgement that resulted in his expulsion from parliament. His legal team filed appeal no. 254/2023 before he reached the court and sought bail. The court granted interim bail to Rahul and listed the matter for the next hearing on April 13.