Rahul’s disqualification, a sad day for democracy: George Abraham, IOC vice Chair

New York

“It is a sad day for democracy in India. By disqualifying Rahul Gandhi, Modi sarkar is ringing the death knell for the right to free speech and freedom of Indians everywhere,” said George Abraham, Vice-Chair of the Indian Overseas Congress, USA. 

“Bringing a frivolous court case against a remark in the heat of a political campaign is shameful and not on par with the spirit of the constitution regarding freedom of expression. One also wonders why the aggrieved party, in this case, asked for suspending his own case from a higher court until the judge hearing the case was removed or transferred out. And again, why was this case not heard in Karnataka, where the said defamation occurred, instead of Gujarat? Modi is not a caste but a surname, and if anyone goes after all the bigoted and defaming statements by BJP leaders in the past, there would be plenty to fight about. 

What has just happened is not about Rahul Gandhi but about the future of democracy in India. The institutions Nehru and Ambedkar built with their vision to build a fair and equitable society are being undermined daily by those in power today. All the freedom-loving people everywhere ought to be concerned”. Mr. Abraham added.