Restoration of Rahul Gandhi's MP status will re-energise Cong, strengthen INDIA bloc, says Sachin Pilot

Congress leader Sachin Pilot said the restoration of former party chief Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership will re-energise party workers and strengthen the opposition INDIA alliance. The Supreme Court court order has shown that democracy is still alive and the voice of a leader cannot be suppressed by hatching a conspiracy, Pilot told reporters in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district, where he had gone to meet the family of a 14-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped, killed and later burnt in a furnace on August 2.

Gandhi returned to Lok Sabha after his membership was restored on Monday, days after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in a defamation case.

He also attended the Lok Sabha proceedings on Tuesday as the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Modi government began in the House.


"Today Rahul Gandhi went to the House. This will infuse fresh enthusiasm in party workers and all opposition forces will become stronger to face the challenges ahead," Pilot said.

He thanked the Supreme Court for staying Gandhi's conviction.

The Supreme Court has presented an example that democracy is alive and that if someone tries to suppress a leader's voice by hatching a conspiracy, it will not allow it, he said.

With Gandhi's return as MP, the INDIA alliance will emerge stronger, he added.

Gandhi will visit Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan on Wednesday and address a public meeting.

Gandhi has great affection for the people of Rajasthan. A huge meeting will be held in Mangarh on Wednesday. This will be his first public programme after the restoration of his Lok Sabha membership, Pilot said.

Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha member on March 24, with effect from March 23, after a Gujarat court convicted him in the defamation case over his Modi surname remark and sentenced him to two years in jail.

A punishment of two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker.