Rahul Gandhi to launch agitation on April 5 from Kolar, where he made remark on Modi surname
Bengaluru, Mar 29: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will begin the party's nationwide 'Satyamev Jayate' agitation on April 5 from Kolar, the very place where he made a remark on the Modi surname for which he was convicted of criminal defamation and was stripped of his Parliament membership, party state president D K Shivakumar said on Wednesday.
The KPCC chief said this during a joint press meet with senior party leader and former Union Minister Anand Sharma.
"The Rahul Gandhi disqualification issue began with his speech in Kolar. On April 5, Rahul Gandhi will come to Kolar and begin his Satyameva Jayate agitation from there, which will go across the country," Shivakumar said, adding, "We asked him to begin from here. He has agreed and the preparations are on for it."
Gandhi would give a "message of change from the very soil of Kolar", in the presence of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders, he said.
On March 23, Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Gujarat's Surat in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "why all thieves have the Modi surname" remark. A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha restrospectively from the date of his conviction in the case.
Gandhi reportedly made those remarks in Kolar in April 2019.
Speaking about his disqualification as MP, Sharma said it was settled law that if there was any reference made to any unidentifiable and indeterminate community, no charge of criminal defamation could ever be levelled.
He said, "A non-existent charge of criminal defamation and maximum punishment (of two years) was given within three weeks, and subsequent disqualification in 18 hours. That's what happened. This judgment was a flawed judgment; it will be trashed and reversed by the higher judiciary."
Sharma pointed out that the Lok Sabha had hastened to disqualify Gandhi before he could even file an appeal against the court order, which he was entitled to do. He also said that the disqualification "does not hold water", as "no reference was made to the President in this regard." The Congress contends that Parliamentary procedure dictates that only the President of India has the power to disqualify an MP from Parliament.
Alleging that parliamentary democracy in India was not only under threat but that there was a siege on parliamentary democracy, Sharma said never before in the history of the country since Parliament was established and the first elections were held in 1952 had the opposition been "completely denied its voice".
The ruling party was derailing the budget session of Parliament by not allowing any discussion, he said, adding, "The message is clear: they (BJP) are rattled and scared that if there is a debate on issues that have been raised by Rahul Gandhi and Congress, BJP has many questions to answer. It is for the people now to judge."
Accusing the ruling party of making false allegations that Rahul Gandhi had made statements against India and its democracy, he said, "The Congress rejects the claims. Their agenda was not to allow Rahul Gandhi to speak."
He also reiterated the Congress' demand that the only way to comprehensively investigate the Adani corruption issue was through a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
India denied Pope Francis’ visit, say Bishops; ‘government did not open the door’
New Delhi: Following the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88, senior Indian bishops have expressed sorrow not only over his passing but also over what they describe as a missed opportunity for India, reported Maktoob Media.
According to Delhi Archbishop Anil Joseph Thomas Couto and Thamarassery Bishop Mar Remigiose Inchananiyil, the Indian government repeatedly failed to grant permission for the Pope's long-awaited visit, despite consistent interest from the Vatican.
“He too was waiting,” said Archbishop Couto. “Five years ago, he had said, ‘I am knocking on the doors of your government, but they are not opening the doors to me.’ Now maybe God has opened the doors for him in heaven.” His words echoed deep regret that India never hosted the late pontiff, who had made clear his intention to visit the country.
Bishop Inchananiyil reinforced the sentiment, stating, “The Pope had a special desire to visit India. Unfortunately, our doors did not open. That caused him great sorrow.”
The Pope’s unfulfilled visit has drawn renewed scrutiny toward the Indian government’s apparent reluctance, despite earlier gestures suggesting otherwise. At the G7 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had publicly extended an invitation to Pope Francis, and Union Minister George Kurien had emphasized that both the Indian state and the Christian community were awaiting his visit. However, the formal diplomatic process that would enable such a trip never reached fruition.
India has not hosted a papal visit in over 25 years. The last visit was by Pope John Paul II in 1999, who also made a significant trip in 1986. Prior to that, Pope Paul VI had visited Mumbai in 1964 for the International Eucharistic Congress, marking the first-ever papal visit to the country.
Despite India being home to one of the largest Catholic populations in Asia greater than in many Christian-majority nations such as East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore the late pontiff was never able to set foot on Indian soil. In 2017, his planned visit fell through when India did not extend an official invitation, leading him instead to visit neighboring Myanmar and Bangladesh.
