New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday said the Union government was ‘afraid’ of Rahul Gandhi and that is why the Congress leader is yet to be reinstated as Lok Sabha MP despite the Supreme Court staying his conviction in a 2019 defamation case.
“The swiftness with which he was disqualified as MP is not being seen after the SC staying the conviction. Three days have passed but the Lok Sabha Speaker is yet to reinstate him,” Raut, a Rajya Sabha MP, told reporters.
“The Central government is scared of Rahul Gandhi due to which he is yet to be reinstated as MP,” he added.
Decrying the delay as well as the speaker’s statement that he needs to study the SC order, Raut said, “We (opposition bloc) INDIA parties are meeting tomorrow to discuss our strategy.”
Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP on March 24 this year after a court in Gujarat’s Surat sentenced him to two years in jail in the case a day earlier.
On July 7, the Gujarat High Court dismissed his plea seeking a stay on the conviction, after which he approached the Supreme Court on July 15. On August 4, the apex court stayed Gandhi’s conviction in the case, paving the way for his reinstatement as Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad in Kerala.
The stay — which will also enable the former Congress chief to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections — was given on the grounds that the trial court in Surat failed to explain why he deserved the maximum two-year punishment upon his conviction that led to his disqualification from the Lower House of Parliament.
The top court also noted that the sentence would not have attracted disqualification had it been a day lesser.
No-trust debate against Modi govt in final week of Monsoon session
The Monsoon session of Parliament is set for a stormy final week with the Lok Sabha being set to take up the no-confidence motion against the government while the Rajya Sabha is likely to witness some spirited debate over the Delhi services bill.
The Business Advisory Committee of the Lok Sabha has allotted 12 hours for the discussion on the no-trust motion and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to respond to the debate on Thursday.
Opposition protests demanding a statement from PM Modi in Parliament on the ethnic violence in Manipur have rocked both Houses since the Monsoon session began on July 20.
Last week, the opposition briefly suspended its protests in the Lok Sabha to allow a discussion on the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill that seeks to replace the ordinance promulgated in May after the Supreme Court granted the control of bureaucracy in the city administration to the elected government.
The contentious bill has been made a rallying point by the Aam Aadmi Party to bring together opposition parties to oppose it in the Rajya Sabha.
The numbers in the Rajya Sabha are evenly poised for the NDA and the INDIA coalitions, but the fence-sitters have tilted the scales in favour of the BJP-led government. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 3 after a nearly five-hour debate.
As many as 20 bills have been cleared by the Houses since the session began on July 20. The Lok Sabha has passed 15 bills so far during the Monsoon session, of which 13 were passed after the no-trust motion was admitted on July 26.
The Rajya Sabha has passed 12 bills during the session so far, while nine bills have been passed by both Houses.
Crucial bills such as the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill and the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill have been passed with little discussion.
In the Lok Sabha, the government has listed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023; the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023; The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the Mediation Bill, 2023 for consideration and passage on Monday.
(With agency inputs)