It's wrong, says Ghulam Nabi Azad on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Sunday termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha a "wrong thing" and does not bode well for democracy.

Gandhi was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his "why all thieves have Modi surname" remark. He was later disqualified from the Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the case.

"I am against this, whether he is Rahul Gandhi or Lalu Prasad Yadav or any other MP or MLA. It is against natural justice that on one side a judge delivered a judgement and on the other the MP or MLA is disqualified," Azad told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Kathua district.

It is a wrong thing, he said.

"Earlier, the rule was that he or she won't be disqualified till the last court does not award him punishment. There are 20 steps before reaching the last court. This does not go well with the democracy," the former Congres