Parliament Disqualifies Main Opposition INC Leader After Court Conviction

Wires reporting that the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha, has suspended the membership of main opposition Indian National Congress (INC) leader Rahul Gandhi following his conviction and two-year prison sentence for defamation. Gandhi was convicted following a speech delivered in the run up to the 2019 general election in which listed a number of "thieves" with the surname Modi, before finishing on (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi.

• If the conviction is not overturned or suspended Gandhi appears unlikely to be able to contest for his Lok Sabha seat in the southern state of Kerala in the 2024 general election. Indian law bars convicted lawmakers from running for election for six years after the end of their sentence.
• Gandhi's sentence is suspended for 30 days, during which he remains on bail and can appeal against the conviction.
• Given the overwhelming popularity of PM Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the INC had little-to-no chance of ousting the incumbent at the 2024 election. Nevertheless, the conviction of its leader on a freedom of speech issue has seen critics accuse the gov't of increasingly authoritarian actions.