NEW DELHI: The Congress has decided to take to the streets to protest against Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and, along with other parties, will meet President Droupadi Murmu.
The main opposition party announced a mass agitation on Thursday immediately after Rahul was convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case and said it would not just fight the case legally but also politically.
Following the court verdict, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge convened a meeting of senior party leaders and MPs at his residence where it was decided that a protest would be staged at Vijay Chowk on Friday.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party would hold a meeting with other opposition leaders in the morning and stage a protest march from Parliament to Vijay Chowk.
The opposition parties have also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her.
Ramesh said the meeting at Kharge’s residence lasted around two hours and it was decided that the party president would hold a meeting with all state unit chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders and plan agitations in states.
“We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday,” Ramesh said.
It is just not a legal issue, but also a serious political matter linked with the future of democracy in the country, he said.
“This is another major example of the Modi government’s politics of vendetta, threat and intimidation. We will fight it legally as well as politically. We will not bow down or be intimidated by such politics and will turn this into a major political issue,” Ramesh said.