New Delhi:

A combative Rahul Gandhi tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after the highest opposition chief was disqualified from parliament.

Mr Gandhi claimed the Prime Minister is fearful of his subsequent speech and used a Veer Savarkar reference to reply why he did not apologise over his remarks in London and in the course of the defamation trial wherein he was convicted.

The BJP, in the meantime, doubled down on its assault on Mr Gandhi, claiming the Congress was making an attempt to undertaking him as a sufferer for electoral features.

“I’ve been disqualified because the Prime Minister is fearful of my subsequent speech. I’ve seen concern in his eyes. That is why they do not need me to talk within the Parliament,” mentioned the Congress chief.

Responding on the BJP’s requires apology, he mentioned, “My title will not be Savarkar. I’m a Gandhi. I will not apologise.”

He additionally denied the BJP’s prices that he had sought the intervention of worldwide forces within the home affairs of the nation. He mentioned he had requested the Speaker to let him reply on the ground of the Home to the allegations over his London remarks.

“BJP leaders claimed that I’m serving to anti-India forces. I instructed the Speaker that it’s my proper to answer these allegations. However he did not enable me,” he mentioned. “I’ve just one step and that is to battle for fact and to defend democratic nature of this nation. Disqualify me for all times, jail me for all times, I’ll proceed going.”

“Do I look fearful? I am excited,” mentioned an undeterred Mr Gandhi.

In a immediate response, the BJP reiterated its declare that Mr Gandhi insulted Different Backward Communities (OBCs) together with his comment on the Modi surname.

“He isn’t the one one, 32 leaders have been disqualified throughout the nation, together with six from the BJP. The Congress is making an attempt to undertaking Rahul Gandhi as a sufferer for electoral features in Karnataka,” mentioned former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Mr Gandhi, the main face of the Congress, was on Thursday convicted in a defamation case by a courtroom in Gujarat, the house state of PM Modi. He was sentenced to 2 years in jail and consequently, he was disqualified as an MP the following day. He’s but to attraction the decision in a better courtroom.

The case stemmed from Mr Gandhi’s alleged comment at a 2019 election rally implying PM Modi is a prison. “How come all thieves have Modi because the widespread surname,” he had mentioned in Karnataka’s Kolar, resulting in a number of defamation instances being filed in opposition to him in numerous states.

The BJP had projected this comment as a smear marketing campaign in opposition to those that share the Modi surname and the OBC neighborhood.