The disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from his Lok Sabha membership following a judgment by a Surat court has triggered nationwide outrage by various opposition party leaders, including those who do not accept him as the leader.
Even Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, his son K T Rama Rao, and daughter Kavitha, and other Bharat Rashtra Samithi leaders, who are fighting against the Congress in the state, have strongly condemned the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, describing it as a black day in the history of Indian democracy.
Interestingly, there has been no response or reaction from the political leaders in Andhra Pradesh – Telugu Desam Party President N Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress Party President Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Naidu, who had joined hands with the Congress party in the 2019 general elections and shared the dais with Rahul Gandhi during the election meetings, surprisingly remained silent when the latter was unceremoniously sacked from Parliament.
Similarly, Jagan has also not uttered a word on Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification. Perhaps he doesn’t want to antagonize the Bharatiya Janata Party national leadership. At the same time, he has no love lost for Rahul Gandhi either, as the latter was instrumental in sending him to jail in 2012.
Interestingly, Jagan’s sister Sharmila, who also never loses an opportunity to attack the Congress party, chose to condemn Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha. She described it as "unfortunate and undemocratic" and also a "biased and bizarre" decision.
In a statement, she termed the disqualification as a black day and expressed shock that, despite having a window of 30 days to present his arguments, this unilateral and cruel step was taken only to settle political scores.
“In democracy, opposition plays a crucial role in voicing people’s concerns and fighting the atrocities of the ruling party. It is a right to freedom and expression, and the ruling parties should realize they too will be placed in the same situation as power is not permanent,” she said.
Sharmila said Constitutional rights should always be placed above political interests.
“What BJP has unleashed today put a scar on the democratic spirit of the country,” she said, adding that it is the duty of all parties to come together and condemn these autocratic acts.