Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday (March 25) he had been disqualified from parliament because he has been asking the prime minister tough questions about his relationship with Gautam Adani, founder of the embattled Adani conglomerate.
Gandhi, who represented India’s main opposition Congress party in parliament, lost his seat on Friday (March 24) a day after a court in the western state of Gujarat convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail. The court granted him bail and suspended his jail sentence for 30 days, allowing him to appeal.
The defamation case was filed in connection with comments Gandhi made in a speech that many deemed insulting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi’s party and its allies have criticised the court ruling as politically motivated.
Gandhi brushed aside his disqualification from parliament.
“I am not scared of this disqualification … I will continue to ask the question, ‘what is the prime minister’s relationship with Mr Adani?’,” he said.
