Modi govt accused of double standards

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Centre of double standards, saying while it disqualified Rahul Gandhi with lightning speed, a Gujarat MP who was convicted in a criminal case did not face the same action. Kharge was referring to the BJP's Amreli MP Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadia, who was awarded a three-year jail term by a court. Kachhadia's conviction was later quashed by the Supreme Court.

Gandhi was convicted by a lower court in Gujarat's Surat and sentenced to prison for two years on March 23 for a speech in which he linked Prime Minister Narendra Modi's last name with two fugitive businessmen, remarking how the "thieves" shared the same last name. A day later, he was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha. Kharge said the Gujarat MP was allowed to attend the Parliament but a person who speaks the truth has been kept out of Parliament.

"The height of the Modi government's hypocrisy and double standards -- a BJP MP from Gujarat is awarded a three-year imprisonment by a local court, sessions court and high court but there was no disqualification till 16 days.

"But Rahul Gandhi was disqualified with lightning speed," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi. He said one can see who is getting relief and who is getting punished under the Modi regime. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has also written to Speaker Om Birla seeking a discussion on Gandhi's disqualification. A sessions court in Surat on April 3 granted bail to Gandhi and will hear on April 13 his plea for a stay of his conviction in the 2019 criminal defamation case.

The Congress on Wednesday said presiding officers in legislatures are expected to be fair, even-handed and non-partisan, and cannot display their biases or their loyalty to the ruling party.

The assertion by Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh did not name anyone, but came soon after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge's point of order that Rajya Sabha cannot discuss about a Lok Sabha member or anyone who is not a member of the Upper House.

On March 13, Kharge had raised a point of order on the assertion by Leader of the House and Union minister Piyush Goyal's demand that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi apologise for his democracy remarks in the UK.

"Presiding Officers in Legislatures are expected to be fair, even-handed and non-partisan. They cannot display their biases or their loyalty to the ruling party," Ramesh said. "They must command respect by their actions not demand respect by a never-ending flow of sermons," he said. While rejecting Kharge's point of order, Dhankhar said after bestowing earnest consideration, he is of the firm view that there can be no issue or individual beyond the purview of discussion in the Rajya Sabha and the same is exclusively subject to regulation by the House and the Chairman. "In view of categorical and firm constitutional prescriptions, I cannot persuade myself to sustain the point of order raised by the Hon'ble Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and the same is hereby declined," Dhankhar said.