The Lok Sabha secretariat cleared Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s return as MP in the Lower House Monday. Last week, the Supreme Court had stayed his conviction in a criminal defamation case. The Congress wants Rahul to participate in the no-confidence motion discussion in the Lok Sabha that begins tomorrow.
Mr Gandhi will be back in the Lok Sabha, representing his constituency Wayanad, at a time when the parliament has seen repeated disruptions over the Opposition bloc INDIA's demand for a dedicated discussion on Manipur after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the same.INDIA alliance leaders were seen celebrating restoration of Mr Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership with sweets. The Supreme Court on Friday, while ordering a stay on Rahul Gandhi's conviction, said that while his remarks were not in good taste, his disqualification from parliament would affect his constituents.The trial judge had awarded the maximum sentence of two years in the case, the top court had observed, pointing out that it would not have attracted disqualification as an MP if the sentence was a day lesser. "The ramifications of disqualification not just affects the rights of the individual but also the electorate," the judges said.