New Delhi: The Democrat co-chair of the India Caucus in the US House of Representatives, Ro Khanna, described the removal of Rahul Gandhi from parliament as a “deep betrayal” of India’s “deepest values”.
Khanna was elected as the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in the 118th Congress last month. He was elected for the fourth consecutive term from California last November.
“The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for,” he wrote.
Khanna also appealed to the Indian PM to take a stance against it. “@narendramodi you have the power to reverse this decision for the sake of Indian democracy,” he tweeted.
The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. @narendramodi you have the power to reverse this decision for the the sake of Indian democracy. https://t.co/h85qlYMn1J
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) March 24, 2023
Separately, US senator from Maryland, Chris Van Hollen, tweeted saying, “As a friend of India, this news is alarming. In a healthy democracy, you don’t silence opposition — you debate them. Free speech is essential to democracy & India has already fallen to #150 out of #180 in the World Press Freedom Index. This is another step in the wrong direction.”
As a friend of India, this news is alarming. In a healthy democracy, you don’t silence opposition — you debate them. Free speech is essential to democracy & India has already fallen to #150 out of #180 in the World Press Freedom Index. This is another step in the wrong direction. https://t.co/r74urgJz7I
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) March 24, 2023
On Thursday, a Gujarat court had convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for two years for allegedly defaming people with ‘Modi’ surname as thieves. A day later, Lok Sabha issued a notification saying the Wayanad MP was disqualified with effect from March 23, 2023.
At a rally in 2019, Rahul was alleged to have said, “I have a question. Why do all these thieves have Modi in their names whether it is Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi? We don’t know how many more such Modis will come out,” Gandhi said. The criminal defamation case against Gandhi was filed by Purnesh Modi, who was then a minister in Gujarat.
Before taking over as co-chair of the India Caucus, Khanna, who had previously spoken out against Hindutva, said that he would work to fulfill the strategic partnership and we have to respect the democratically elected leadership in India. “I will work to strengthen that while also upholding these human rights values,” he told NBC News in an interview.
India Caucus is the largest country-specific bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Khanna is the second Indian-American to be co-chair of the India Caucus, after Ami Bera.