India’s parliament, in a development on Monday, officially restored Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress party, as a member. This decision comes following the Supreme Court’s suspension of his defamation conviction. The government communicated this reinstatement through an official notice.
Rahul Gandhi, whose lineage includes a prime minister father, grandmother, and great-grandfather, faced conviction in March as a result of a defamation case filed against him by a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The case centered around comments he made in 2019 that were deemed derogatory towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and individuals sharing the same name, including the plaintiff lawmaker.
As a consequence of his conviction, the 53-year-old Gandhi lost his parliamentary seat and was subjected to a two-year prison sentence, from which he was later granted bail. However, in a significant turn of events, the Supreme Court recently suspended his conviction, enabling Gandhi to reclaim his seat in parliament and potentially participate in the upcoming general election slated for next year.
In the months leading up to this development, Rahul Gandhi has played an active role in initiating discussions between his Congress party and various other opposition groups. The aim of these talks has been to establish a broad alliance that can effectively challenge the ruling BJP in the forthcoming general election.
