‘Fighting for voice of India, ready to pay any price,’ says Rahul Gandhi after disqualification as MP

“I am fighting for the voice of India and am ready to pay any price (for it),” Rahul Gandhi tweeted after his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Reacting to his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said he was fighting to restore the country's voice and will pay any price to do so.

"I am fighting for the voice of India and am ready to pay any price (for it)," Mr. Gandhi tweeted in Hindi. His tweet followed his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP earlier on Friday.

The disqualification came in the wake of Mr. Gandhi's conviction by a Surat court in a 2019 defamation case on Thursday. The disqualified Congress MP was sentenced to two years in prison following his conviction for a remark using the surname 'Modi' at a campaign event for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, in Karnataka.

However, the court later approved his bail on a surety of ₹15,000 while suspending his sentence for a period of 30 days during which he can challenge his conviction at a higher court.

Meanwhile, the Congress on Friday came down heavily on the Centre over Mr. Gandhi's disqualification as a Lok Sabha member, calling it a "strangulation of democracy" while exuding confidence that the disqualification will be revoked through a stay on his conviction by a higher court.

The party alleged that Mr. Gandhi's disqualification is part of a "pattern" to stop him from speaking out against the Central government and also an attempt to divert public attention from real issues.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in the national capital, Congress national spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi and senior leader Jairam Ramesh lashed out at the Centre over the disqualification of the former national party president.