India's Rahul Gandhi Gets His Parliament Seat Back

NEW DELHI, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- Prominent Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi on Monday got his parliament seat back after his conviction in a defamation case was suspended on Friday by the country's Supreme Court.

Rahul, who represents the Wayanad constituency in the lower house Lok Sabha, was disqualified as a lawmaker following his conviction in March by a Gujarat court over his remarks deemed offensive towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 52-year Congress party politician was given a two-year prison sentence for a speech in 2019 in which he had wondered how come "all thieves have Modi as the common surname".

Besides the prime minister, his remarks also referred to fugitive diamond tycoon Nirav Modi and former Indian Premier League (IPL) chief Lalit Modi.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge welcomed Rahul's reinstatement as parliament member.

"It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad," Kharge said.

Rahul's return to parliament comes at a crucial moment as lawmakers will begin a debate on a no-confidence motion against Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on Tuesday.

While the BJP's numerical strength should allow it to easily defeat the motion, opposition members aim to put up a good fight and will seek to embarrass the government over a host of issues, including the ongoing ethnic conflict in the state of Manipur and anti-Muslim violence in Haryana state.

-- BERNAMA