Speaking in public for the first time since his disqualification from the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, March 25, continued his attack on the Modi government and industrialist Gautam Adani. Rahul, who was found guilty of criminal and civil defamation by a Gujarat court recently, alleged that it was the Union government’s tactic to distract the people from questions on Adani.
“I am here to defend the democratic voice of the Indian people. I'm not scared of all these threats, prison sentences and disqualifications. I will continue to ask questions,” the Congress leader and former MP of Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency said.
Rahul alleged that the questions he raised in the Lok Sabha seemed to have set things in motion leading to his conviction and disqualification from the lower House of the Parliament.
“It all began a few weeks back when I asked PM Modi a specific set of questions. First, Rs 20,000 crore has been put in shell companies owned by Adani. This could not have been generated by Adani alone. Where did it come from? Whose money is it? Whose shell companies are these? Why does nobody know? Why is the Defence Ministry not asking these questions?” Rahul said.
The second question raised by the Congress leader in the Parliament was regarding PM Modi’s relationship with Adani. “I raised these questions by providing enough proof in the form of photographs, legal documents and media clippings. But my speech was expunged. Despite writing letters to the Speaker, it has not been revoked. And now, BJP MPs in the parliament have started to spread lies about me – accusing me of having requested foreign forces to intervene in India. I have not made any such statements. They are doing all of this to distract people from the Adani issue,” he said.
Speaking on the disqualification, Rahul said, “They can disqualify me permanently for life. I will continue working. It doesn't make a difference if I am inside the Parliament or outside.”
Several politicians, including Congress leaders and other opposition party members, had raised allegations that Rahul’s conviction and the disqualification that followed was political vendetta for raising the Adani issue in the Parliament. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday had said that it was “nine days after Rahul Gandhi’s Adani speech in LS on Feb 7th, the defamation case against him gets fast-tracked by the complainant withdrawing his stay in the HC on 16th Feb. On 27th Feb arguments resume after 1 year. 17th March judgement reserved.” He added, “This is not a coincidence.”