Assam CM On Rahul’s MP Exit: “Sometimes Slip Of Tongue Happens But…”
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Saturday that Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the Lok Sabha is a legal matter and should be kept apart of the political context.
Speaking to reporters today morning, CM Sarma said, “…court has held him (Rahul Gandhi) guilty, and as a consequence of the pronouncement of the court…he has been disqualified. So, according to me, this is a judicial cycle and there is nothing political about it, so, I don’t think any comment is required from our side on the disqualification as well as the decision of the court.”
He added, “In his speech in Karnataka, he has abused the OBC community. Consequent to that comment, cases were filed in various parts of the country, even in Arunachal also because that particular community resides there too.”
The chief minister also acknowledged that occasionally people accidentally say the wrong thing, but an apology ought to have been extended.
“He should have tendered an apology immediately after that speech. Sometimes, slip of tongue happens, even with us. But in next 10-15 minutes, we issue a statement apologizing for the comment that came out of the mouth unintentionally.”
“The matter would have been closed if Rahul Gandhi had apologized, but he neither apologized nor withdrew the comments against the community for five long years. Hence, the comments were intentional and were meant to abuse the OBC community of the country,” he further said.
Rahul Gandhi was already prohibited from serving in the Lok Sabha as of the day of his conviction in the criminal defamation case involving his 2019 remark about the “Modi surname.”
The Lok Sabha secretariat in a notification issued on Friday read, “Shri Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023 in terms of the provisions of Article 102(1) (e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.”
Gandhi was found guilty on Thursday and given a two-year prison term in a defamation case from 2019 stemming from his claimed disparaging statements about the “Modi surname.” The judge granted him bail and deferred the punishment for 30 days in order to give him time to file an appeal with a higher court.
In the build-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha general elections, Gandhi had allegedly remarked, “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” during a public rally at Kolar in Karnataka. Purnesh Modi, a BJP legislator and former minister for Gujarat, filed a complaint against Rahul Gandhi, the Wayanad MP, based on this information.
Also, he last appeared in court in October 2021 to give a statement in a defamation action brought against him under IPC sections 499 and 500.
Rahul Gandhi served as an MP for the Kerala district of Wayanad.