Internal matter: Minister Anurag Thakur responds to US on Rahul Gandhi row

Union minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday brushed aside the remarks made by a US official that Washington is watching the court case of Rahul Gandhi and said the Congress leader's disqualification from the Lok Sabha is India's internal matter.

Participating in the "Times Network India Digital Fest", Anurag Thakur also observed that the US official had made a generic statement.

"It is our internal matter. No one is above the Supreme Court. There are judicial and constitutional institutions. They (the United States) have made a generic statement," he said.

Rahul Gandhi (52) was sentenced to two years in jail on March 23 by a court in Gujarat's Surat in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "why all thieves have the Modi surname" remark. A day later, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case.

"Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy. We are watching Mr Gandhi's case in Indian courts and we engage with the Government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of expression," US State Department's Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a news conference on Monday.