Rahul Gandhi press conference today: Indian Cong leader's 1st since disqualification

Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is to hold a press conference at his party's HQ in New Delhi at 1 pm, a day after he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha over a Gujarat court's conviction in the 2019 'Modi surname' case. The Surat court handed Gandhi a two-year sentence that it suspended for 30 days - on request from the political leader's legal team - to allow him to file an appeal.

However, the conviction meant Gandhi could be (and was) stripped off his parliamentary post and will have to appeal to a higher court to get the conviction stayed to roll back the disqualification; the Congress' Abhishek Singhvi told Hindustan Times a sessions court will be moved this weekend.

Rahul Gandhi's 1 pm presser will be the ex-MP's first words in public since he was booted out of Parliament, triggering massive protests from the Congress and senior opposition leaders, including Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav.

On Friday Rahul Gandhi declared himself 'ready to pay any price' and, the day before (and after the court's verdict), he quoted Mahatma Gandhi in saying, "My religion is based on truth and non-violence. Truth is my God, non-violence the means to get it."

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified after the court in prime minister Narendra Modi's home state (of Gujarat) ruled a comment made in 2019 in Karnataka's Kolar was defamatory.

Gandhi, speaking at an election rally, had pointed to wanted fugitives like Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, and wondered if 'all thieves have Modi as a common surname'.

A case was promptly filed by then Gujarat minister and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Purnesh Modi, who this week declared himself delighted at the Surat court's verdict.