Maha: Congress protests against disqualification of Rahul; BJP hits streets seeking his apology for 'insulting' OBCs

Congress workers staged demonstrations in Mumbai and other cities in Maharashtra on Saturday against the disqualification of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi after his conviction by a Surat court in a criminal defamation case. Counter protests were held by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mumbai, Thane, and Nashik cities demanding an apology from Gandhi for "insulting" the Other Backward Classes (OBC) with his 2019 ''Modi'' surname remark.

At Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, legislators of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) joined their Congress counterparts in a protest wherein they covered their mouths with black cloth strips. In Kalyan city neighbouring Mumbai, Congress workers staged a rasta roko near the railway station in the afternoon. Police dispersed them and cleared the road for traffic. In Thane city, Congress activists took out a symbolic funeral procession of ''democracy''.

Congress workers carrying placards and banners gathered near the statue of B R Ambedkar in Thane led by Congress' city unit president Vikrant Chavan. They shouted slogans against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The NCP also put up banners at several locations saying the country will not tolerate the politics of revenge. The banners carry huge pictures of Gandhi during the Bharat Jodo yatra.

After some time, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers staged a protest at the same venue against Gandhi. Former party corporator Milind Patankar led the protest, in which they said that Gandhi must undergo jail term in the defamation case.

The Shiv Sena held a protest march nearby, which was led by former mayor and spokesman Naresh Mhaske. Party workers raised slogans against Gandhi during the 'morcha'. In Pune city, Congress functionaries raised slogans against BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a demonstration held near MG Road.

Pune city Congress chief Arvind Shinde said the move to disqualify Gandhi was taken at the behest of the Union government since the latter was becoming the voice of the people.

In Nashik, Congress workers shouted slogans against the Union government in front of the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar on Shivaji Road.

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP after a Surat court on Thursday sentenced him to two years in jail for criminal defamation over his 2019 ''Modi surname'' remark. The sentence is suspended for 30 days to allow Rahul to appeal in a higher court.

Meanwhile, the BJP staged protests against Rahul Gandhi demanding an apology from him for "insulting" the OBCs. The protests, holding placards with messages that the Congress leader should apologise for insulting the OBCs, were held in Dadar and Lalbaug in Mumbai.

''The country will not tolerate insults of the OBCs. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the OBCs,'' said Chandrakant Bawankule, Maharashtra state BJP president.

He was joined by state BJP leaders, including state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha. In Nashik, OBC Morcha of BJP torched an effigy of Rahul Gandhi in Ravivar Karanja area. The disqualification issue resonated in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly with the Opposition staging a walkout accusing the Speaker of delaying action against members who hit a poster of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with footwear on the legislature premises some days back.

Speaker Rahul Narvekar said he needs to take Deputy Chairperson of the Legislative Council Neelam Gorhe into confidence while preparing guidelines for members' conduct at the legislature and in the House.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)