Congress workers stage protest over Rahul's conviction

Congress workers staged a protest on Thursday in Pune over their party leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction by a court in Gujarat in a defamation case for his "Modi surname" remarks.

Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) vice-president Mohan Joshi, Pune city Congress chief Arvind Shinde and other senior leaders were present during the protest.

Speaking on the occasion, Joshi claimed there was a ploy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Modi government to get the Congress MP from Kerala disqualified from Parliament by filing various cases against him.

This is being done because the BJP knows the

Modi government will be thrown out of power in the 2024 general elections due to Gandhi's efforts, said the MPCC leader.

Congress workers will ensure the BJP is ousted from power at the Centre in the next general elections, said Joshi.

Earlier in the day, a court at Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in the 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "why all thieves have Modi surname" remarks.

The case was filed against him on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" Congress spokesperson Abhishek

Singhvi said the trial court has given a 170-page judgment that is still subject to translation and the party is working towards filing an appeal against it in a higher court.

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma, which held Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500 (dealing with defamation), also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.

Meanwhile, the conviction of Rahul Gandhi by a Surat court in a defamation case was "erroneous and unsustainable" and will be challenged in a higher court, the Congress said on Thursday while expressing hope that the judgment will be stayed and quashed.