America’s eye on Rahul Gandhi’s case, said- Respect for law is the foundation of any democracy

Washington. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha after being sentenced to two years in a defamation case by a court in Surat. In this regard, America has said that it is constantly keeping an eye on the case of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Indian courts. US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel said that ‘the US is engaged with the Government of India on a shared commitment to democratic values, including freedom of expression’. Responding to a question about Rahul Gandhi’s expulsion from Parliament, he said in a press conference that ‘the rule of law and respect for judicial independence are the cornerstones of any democracy’.

Vedant Patel said that ‘we are looking into Rahul Gandhi’s case in Indian courts’. When asked whether America is in talks with India or Rahul Gandhi, he said that ‘I do not have any specific information to tell… But as you know it is a general thing. Wherever we have bilateral relations, it is normal for us to engage with members of opposition parties in any country. Significantly, on Friday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from the date of his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark.

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Rahul Gandhi was an MP from Wayanad seat of Kerala. Surat court on Thursday Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years imprisonment in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark made in 2019 during an election rally in Karnataka. In April 2019, Rahul Gandhi had said at a Lok Sabha election rally in Kolar, Karnataka that ‘How can all thieves be surnamed Modi?’ BJP MLA from Surat West Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi.

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