Rahul Gandhi vows to continue fight for India's voice despite disqualification from parliament

Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has vowed to continue fighting for the voice of India despite his disqualification from parliament following his conviction in a criminal defamation case. "I am fighting for the voice of India. I am ready to pay any price," he wrote in a tweet.

The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as a lawmaker came after a Surat court found him guilty of defamation and sentenced him to two years in prison. The decision was confirmed by a notice from Parliament on March 24.

The Congress party has expressed its displeasure over the verdict and announced that it will hold a protest and meet with President Droupadi Murmu along with other opposition parties. The party has declared a mass agitation, stating that it will fight not just legally, but also politically.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with senior party leaders and MPs at his residence in view of the verdict. After the conclusion of the meeting, the members of the party decided to stage a protest at Vijay Chowk on March 24, according to several reports.

The conviction of Rahul Gandhi in the "Modi surname" remark case has sparked controversy and has raised questions about freedom of speech in India. The Congress leader had made the remark during a rally in 2019, in which he had allegedly linked the surname Modi to corruption. The remark had sparked a backlash from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had accused Gandhi of defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his family.