Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Congress Party in Lok Sabha has requested Speaker Om Birla to restore membership of Rahul Gandhi as the Supreme Court has stayed his conviction in the criminal defamation case. "The speed which was adopted during his disqualification is not evident so far in reinstating him," he said.
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed his conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his Modi surname remark, paving the way for revival of his Lok Sabha membership. The Lok Sabha speaker can now revive his membership on his own or Gandhi, armed with the apex court order, can seek restoration of his status as an MP.
Advertisement
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury approached the Speaker of Lok Sabha today. "I have simply depicted to you the efforts taken from our end in order to restore Rahul Gandhi's membership of the Parliament. He is an elected personality and entitled to join the Parliament when it is in session and when the issues which bear importance are being discussed in the Parliament," Chowdhury told reporters.
The Congress MP further said that he called Lok Sabha Speaker regarding it during the day but he was asked to call the Secretary General. The ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament is set to witness a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led NDA government next week. The session so far has also seen multiple disruptions over the opposition's demand for a debate on Manipur violence.
Advertisement
The date of his return will depend on when the Lok Sabha secretariat issues a notification in this regard.
