Washington: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after being sentenced to two years in a defamation case by a court in Surat. In this regard, America has said that it is constantly keeping an eye on the case of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Indian courts. Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesman for the US State Department, said that “the US is engaged with the Indian government on a shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of expression.” Answering the question, he said in a press conference that the ‘rule of law and respect for judicial independence are the cornerstones of any democracy’.
Vedant Patel said ‘we are looking into Rahul Gandhi’s case in Indian courts.’ When asked whether the US is negotiating with India or Rahul Gandhi, he said that ‘I have something special to tell. Don’t know… but as you know it’s normal. Wherever we have bilateral relations, it is normal for us to engage with members of opposition parties in any country.’ Significantly, on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark. Lok Sabha member disqualified as MP from the date of departure.
Rahul Gandhi was an MP from the Wayanad seat of Kerala. A Surat court on Thursday sentenced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark made in 2019 during an election rally in Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi had said at a Lok Sabha election rally in Kolar, Karnataka in April 2019 that ‘how can all thieves be surnamed, Modi?’ A criminal defamation case was filed against Rahul Gandhi by Surat West BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.
