NEW DELHI: The Congress is trying to exert "undue pressure" on the Judiciary, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju claimed on Monday, questioning the plan by members of the opposition party to accompany Rahul Gandhi to a Surat court.
Gandhi will be in Gujarat's Surat city on Monday to file an appeal in a court against his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks.
Senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states, and other national and state party leaders are likely to accompany him to the court, sources said.
Gandhi's lawyers said the matter is likely to be taken up for hearing by the sessions court on Monday itself.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leaves his residence for Surat, in New Delhi, Monday, April 3, 2023. (Photo | PTI)"My point is very simple -- why is the Congress party trying to put this kind of undue pressure on the Judiciary. There are means and ways to deal with judicial matters. But is this the way?" he quipped.
He wondered whether there has been a case in the past where an entire party is trying to 'gherao' a court.
"The ED takes action, they want to gherao ED office. When the CBI takes action, they want to gherao the CBI. When court gives verdict, they want to take over the court complexes. These kind of activities demean democracy and every Indian must condemn it," he told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Dubbing the move of Congress leaders to accompany Gandhi to court as "sycophancy of one family" he wondered whether the family was above the country.
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Meanwhile, the Congress Tripura unit will take out a rally here on April 16 to protest Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha, said state party president Birajit Sinha.
Sinha said protest programmes will also be held in Kailashahar in the Unakoti district and Udaipur in the Gomati district on April 20 and 30. He expressed concern over post-poll violence which is still going on in the northeastern state even a month after the announcement of the election results.
"It seems the BJP has not learnt a lesson from the people's verdict. Over 61 per cent of voters wanted change in the 2023 Assembly elections in Tripura. They have managed to form the government by securing only 39 per cent vote share", he said.
Sinha also sought disciplinary action against BJP legislator Yadav Lal Nath for allegedly watching a pornography video on his mobile phone in the Assembly on March 24.
"The act of the ruling party MLA has damaged the Assembly's sanctity. The speaker should take suo moto cognizance and disciplinary action against the legislator for his misdeed", he said.
