Youth Cong protests in Delhi against Rahul's disqualification as MP

The Indian Youth Congress of Delhi on Friday held a protest at its office against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from Parliament after he was convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case.

The protest started around 6 pm where several workers of the IYC carrying placards raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They also burnt an effigy of the PM which was doused and removed by the police force.

Calling it is a 'Black Day for Indian Democracy', the IYC asserted that "their struggle will continue no matter how hard the Modi government tries to mute the voice of democracy."

Adequate police and paramilitary personnel were deployed and they have erected barricades at the back gate of the IYC.

National general secretary of the IYC and Delhi in-charge Coco Padhi said, "The PM has tried to stifle Gandhi, who is raising the voice for the country and the youth, from the street to Parliament."

The IYC also shared images of similar protests held in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra on their Twitter handle.

Former Congress president Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case for his alleged remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?"

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held Gandhi guilty under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court, the Congress leader's lawyer Babu Mangukiya said.

The former Wayanad MP attended Lok Sabha on Friday briefly as the House was adjourned for an hour soon after it convened for the day.

He was disqualified hours later by the Lok Sabha Secretariat from the day of his conviction.