The BJP on Friday welcomed the Gujarat High Court’s decision rejecting Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay his conviction in a defamation case, and alleged it is a “chronic habit” of the Congress leader to abuse and defame others.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Congress leader refused to apologise for his ‘Modi surname’ jibe and displayed “irresponsible arrogance”.
If he behaves like this and defames people and institutions, the law will catch up with him, Prasad said, asserting that those claiming that Gandhi’s punishment is harsh should answer as to why he committed such a “harsh” offense. The law has caught up with him, he added.
Prasad noted that there are seven-eight defamation cases against the former Congress president.
It has become a “chronic habit” of Gandhi to abuse and defame eminent people and organisations, the former law minister said, noting the Congress leader has also been accused of insulting a “great patriot” like V D Savarkar and Hindutva organisation RSS.
Rahul Gandhi had to apologise to the Supreme Court for his claims on the Rafale case, but he later attacked a reporter covering his press conference by calling him a BJP spokesperson, Prasad said.
It is his arrogance that he believes he is above the law as he is from the Gandhi family, Prasad said, reiterating the BJP’s stand that the Congress leader insulted backward castes by allegedly linking those with Modi surname to thieves.
“I want to ask the Congress why can’t it control Rahul Gandhi and train him to speak right? When given a chance by the trial court in Surat to apologise, he instead said, ‘I am not Savarkar that I will apologise’. This truly shows the extent of hatred, Rahul has against a great patriot of the country,” he added.
Asked about the comments of some Congress leaders that their party will fight the BJP politically, Prasad said the ruling party is ready to take them on and asserted Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again win the popular support in the coming elections.
He said any insinuation from Congress leaders that the BJP is to blame for Gandhi’s conviction is an insult to the judiciary.
The Gujarat High Court earlier in the day dismissed Gandhi’s plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark.
Justice Hemant Prachchhak noted that Gandhi was already facing 10 criminal cases across India, adding that the order of the lower court was “just, proper and legal” in handing over a two-year jail term to Gandhi for his remarks.
There was no reasonable ground to stay the conviction, the high court said.
After the verdict, the Congress party said it would challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court.
A stay on Gandhi’s conviction in the case would have paved the way for his reinstatement as a Member of Parliament.
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