New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday reached the Parliament, soon after his Lok Sabha membership was restored and offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi's statue. The Wayanad MP was accorded a warm welcome by Congress and other opposition MPs as he arrived at Parliament.


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

The former Congress president also attended Lok Sabha proceedings after it resumed at 12 pm but it got adjourned within minutes.





Rahul Gandhi was on Monday reinstated as an MP over four months after he was disqualified. The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification announcing that the Congress leader's disqualification has been revoked and his membership restored following a Supreme Court order staying his conviction in the 'Modi surname' defamation case.


Following the restoration of his membership, the Congress said it would like Rahul to be a key speaker in the debate on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The vote is expected to be taken up in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.


Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as Lok Sabha member in March 


Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha member on March 24 this year, with effect from March 23 after a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail but was later granted bail. A punishment of two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker.


However, the Supreme Court last week stayed his conviction, paving the way for the restoration of his Lok Sabha membership and contest next year's Lok Sabha elections.


Congress leaders hail Rahul Gandhi's reinstatement as MP


Several Congress leaders hailed Rahul Gandhi's reinstatement as an MP, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge saying that the decision was a 'welcome step'.


"It brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad," he said in a tweet and shared a video showing him distributing sweets to other lawmakers.


"Whatever time is left of their tenure, BJP and Modi government should utilise that by concentrating on actual governance rather than denigrating Democracy by targeting opposition leaders," he added.



Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hailed her brother's return to Lok Sabha and said 'the voice of the real issues of the people' will once again reverberate in Parliament.



Various Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) leaders also hailed Rahul Gandhi's return as an MP.