![[1/3] Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, arrives to appear before a court in Surat in the western state of](https://www.reuters.com/resizer/3NwEpAOg17MyiYldqBbXc_ZMBxw=/1200x628/smart/filters:quality(80)/cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/T4DHNO7XPVOBDPBYJ5RJN7HENY.jpg "Indian opposition dealt major blow as parliament bars Congress leader Gandhi")
Indian opposition dealt major blow as parliament bars Congress leader Gandhi
[1/3] Rahul Gandhi, a senior leader of India's main opposition Congress party, arrives to appear before a court in Surat in the western state of Gujarat, India, March 23, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer
NEW DELHI, March 24 (Reuters) - India's opposition Congress party suffered a major blow on Friday when parliament disqualified its leader, Rahul Gandhi, a day after a court convicted him of defamation for comments that many Indians deemed insulting to the prime minister.
Gandhi "stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction", parliament said in a notice, referring to the lower house of parliament.
Gandhi, 52, was convicted and sentenced to prison for two years in the western state of Gujarat on Thursday after he was found guilty of defamation in connection with a 2019 speech in which he referred to thieves as having the surname Modi. He plans to appeal.
He made the comment while campaigning ahead of the last general election in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept back to power.
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