Congress leaders celebrate Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership restoration

New Delhi [India], August 7 (ANI): Soon after Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership was reinstated on Monday, Congress leaders began celebrating the occasion.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and other party leaders exchanged sweets on the occasion.

The celebrations also began outside the residence of Sonia Gandhi, where party workers were seen dancing.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge Kharge welcomed the move by Lok Sabha secretariat and said that it brings relief to the people of India. 

“The decision to reinstate Rahul Gandhi as an MP is a welcome step. It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad. Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi Govt should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating Democracy by targeting opposition leaders,” Kharge tweeted. 

On the restoration of Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha membership, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi says, “Speaker took the decision today. We followed the legal process, and immediately after receiving the Supreme Court’s order, we restored it.”

The Supreme Court, in an interim order on Friday, stayed Gandhi’s conviction in the criminal defamation case over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

The apex court issued notices to the Gujarat government and the complainant in July on an appeal of the Congress leader challenging the Gujarat High Court order.

The Gujarat High Court, had, in its order earlier, declined to stay his conviction in the criminal defamation case in which Rahul was sentenced to two years in jail by the Surat court over the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

After his conviction in the case, Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Kerala’s Wayanad on March 24.