Kerala Congress workers hold 'maun satyagraha' to protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

Congress leaders and workers in Kerala observed "maun satyagraha" or silent protests to oppose Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha over the Modi surname case.Leaders say that Gandhi was "erroneously" convicted in the defamation case. An array of senior leaders including MLAs, MPs and former ministers gathered in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Park, located in the heart of the capital city, to take part in the protest that would continue till the evening.Among those who attended the silent protests were Kerala PCC chief K Sudhakaran, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly V D Satheesan, MPs including Kodikunnil Suresh, Rajmohan Unnithan and K Muraleedharan as well as presidents of various District Congress Committees.The working president of KPCC, Suresh, alleged that the Central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to keep Rahul Gandhi away from the Parliament by ordering his disqualification."The Modi government is trying to insult Rahul Gandhi and keep him away from the Parliament. But the Congress workers in the country will unitedly rally behind him to check all such moves," he said.A number of workers from nearby districts also took part in the silent protests.Before losing his position as the Member of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi represented Kerala's Wayanad constituency.Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal recently wrote to all state unit chiefs of the party and key functionaries about the protest after the Gujarat High Court dismissed Gandhi's plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark."The entire world has seen how Rahul Gandhi has consistently been questioning and exposing the relationship between Modi and Adani on various platforms. His courageous pursuit has forced the Prime Minister and the BJP to resort to crooked measures leading to his conviction and disqualification from the membership of Lok Sabha," he said.Similarly, Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Bhagel observed 'maun satyagraha' in Raipur.With inputs from PTI