"Didn't think Rahul Gandhi would be so morally corrupt": Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Mar 31, 2023
Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 31 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, hit out at Rahul Gandhi and called him "morally corrupt" for changing his stand regarding the disqualification of a convicted public representative.
Talking to the media here on Friday, Sarma said, "I didn't think that Rahul Gandhi is morally so corrupt. In 2013, Rahul Gandhi opposed the amendment of the bill, which would have allowed a convicted MLA or MP to be a member of parliament for some more, but today he has opposed that. At that point in time, Dr Manmohan Singh had tried to bring some amendment, then Rahul Gandhi publically denounced Dr Manmohan Singh and tore the ordinance".
"Today, when Mallikarjun Kharge is in the same situation, what is he doing, he is trying to say no, no, convicted MLA should not be disqualified," he added.
He further said that Rahul Gandhi opposed the amendment when it was about Lalu Yadav, but he is not opposing it as it is about himself.
"So, you see how much morally he can be corrupt. The same thing which you have argued and you have publically demolished Dr Manmohan Singh completely. The same issue is before you today. Now you need to take a moral high ground and you should tell truth to the people, that I stand for that cause that convicted MLA, MP should be disqualified immediately," he said.
The Assam CM added, "Now instead of that if indirectly encouraging Mallikarjun Kharge to do the same thing which he opposed in 2013. So I have not seen a politician in this country so morally corrupt like Rahul Gandhi".
The Surat court on March 23 held Rahul guilty of criminal defamation over his remark using the surname 'Modi' and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. However, the sentence was later suspended for a period of 30 days during which he can challenge his conviction in a higher court.
The ruling came pertaining to Rahul's statement at a rally in Karnataka in April 2019, where he took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by saying, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?".
Rahul was disqualified as an MP on March 24, as per a Supreme Court ruling in 2013. Under the ruling, any MP or MLA stands to be disqualified automatically if convicted and sentenced to two years or more.
