NEW DELHI ¨C The sentencing of Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Indian National Congress, to , and his disqualification as a lawmaker in the Lok Sabha (the Lower House), has sent shock waves through India¡¯s political system.
Beyond reverberating through both houses of Parliament, the episode has opened a new and sorry chapter in India¡¯s political history ¡ª and cast serious doubt on the future of its democracy.
Gandhi was targeted over comments he made during a 2019 campaign speech in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. After discussing India¡¯s economic travails, Gandhi named six ¡°thieves¡± who had contributed to them: , Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi, Anil Ambani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ¡°One small question,¡± Gandhi quipped, ¡°how are the names of all these thieves ¡®Modi, Modi, Modi¡¯? Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi, and if you search a little more, many more Modis will emerge.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.