US lawmaker wants Rahul back in Parliament; gets schooled

India American lawmaker Ro Khanna on Friday extended his support to Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as a member of Parliament over his conviction by a Surat court in a criminal defamation case.

Khanna called the former Congress President's expulsion a "deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India's deepest values." He also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reverse the decision.

He tweeted, "The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India's deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. @narendramodi you have the power to reverse this decision for the the sake of Indian democracy."

However, Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser to the ministry of information and broadcasting, reminded him that the PM doesn't have the extra-judicial powers to override laws.

"Disqualification (NOT expulsion) of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament follows a court judgement and is mandated by Constitution of India and RPA, the Act under which elections are held," Kanchan Gupta said on Twitter while responding to the US lawmaker's tweet.

"Much as Ro Khanna may believe India is a tinpot autocracy, it is not. PM is not vested with extra-judicial powers to override laws. India is a democracy where the Constitution is supreme and the law is the same for everybody. That is what your grandfather fought for, Mr Khanna," he added.

How Netizens Reacted?
Netizens also schooled the US lawmaker that it is not PM Modi but the court has convicted him.

"Courts have convicted him ! COURTS & NOT GOVT You want Honourable Prime Minister to interfere? That would be undemocratic Rahul is out on Bail in a Case, has rendered Unconditional Apology for Rafael Case defamatory comments and now convicted for violation of laws by a Court Recourse available but not taken yet and that's a surprise for a dynast with many to do his begging 24x7 No Mr Khanna, Indian Democracy isn't in any trouble due to conviction of a serial offender," a user said.

"Nope...You'll not understand the Indian Democracy. India is democratic Nation and will be remain. No one is above the law. Action has been taken according to law against
@RahulGandhi," the second one said.

"Please be aware that @narendramodi is not the king of India. As per Indian constitution, any conviction that leads to a sentence of two years or more automatically leads to disqualification. Many of us think that the judgement is excessive but it is for higher courts to reverse," another netizen added.

Meanwhile, the opposition across the party lines has put their weight behind Rahul Gandhi. Interestingly, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also extended support to Gandhi.

AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday described Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha as a matter of "deep concern" and hit out at the BJP alleging that an attempt is being made to destroy the country. He alleged the way Gandhi was disqualified was an "act of cowardice symbolic of a scared government." "It's not just a fight of the Congress or Rahul Gandhi, it's a fight of the entire opposition," he told reporters after his speech in the Delhi Assembly.

Mamata Banerjee said the country is witnessing a new low in a constitutional democracy. "In PM Modi's New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP ! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches," the fiery TMC Supremo said in a tweet. "Today, we have witnessed a new low for our constitutional democracy," Banerjee, added.

Gandhi has been disqualified from Lok Sabha on Friday after his conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case. Announcing his disqualification in a notification, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that it is effective from March 23, the day of his conviction.

The Surat court on Thursday sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case filed on the basis of a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for the Congress leader's remark "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?" while delivering a speech in 2019.

With inputs from PTI