Congress Party's ‘Maun Satyagraha’ In Delhi, Himachal, Punjab, Haryana Postponed To July 23 Amid Flooding

Congress party called off the ‘Maun Satyagraha’ (Silent Protest) scheduled to take place on Sunday in four states including Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh due to heavy rain.

The Congress party on Saturday postponed the ‘Maun Satyagraha’ (Silent Protest) scheduled to take place on Sunday in Delhi, where the party President Mallikarjun Kharge along with several senior leaders was expected to lead the protest against the Gujarat High Court’s order upholding Rahul Gandhi’s conviction and two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case over his Modi surname remark. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the programme has been cancelled in four states, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh, which are affected due to heavy rain and flood. He said the event will now take place on July 23.

Earlier on July 12, the party had organised ‘Maun Satyagraha’ (silent protest) against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi across the country in different state capitals across the country, reported news agency IANS.

According to the party sources cited by IANS, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge was expected to join the ‘Maun Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar in central Delhi on Sunday. The event was supposed to be organised by IYC, Mahila Congress, and the Delhi unit of the party.

Other leaders such as Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal, and more were expected to join the ‘Maun Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar, which now stands cancelled.

These protests were planned after the Gujarat HC last Friday dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s plea to stay his conviction and two-year jail term in a criminal defamation case that cost him his membership as Lok Sabha MP.

Earlier this year on March 23, Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat district court in the Modi surname case and was also sentenced to two years in jail. The next day, he was also disqualified from the Lok Sabha as a convicted politician who cannot remain a parliamentarian.

Following the district court order, Rahul Gandhi went to the Surat sessions court for a stay on his conviction, but on April 20, the Sessions court rejected his plea. The former Lok Sabha MP then on April 25 appealed to the Gujarat High Court challenging the Surat sessions court order. However, the High Court refused to grant any interim relief to Rahul Gandhi in May and said the final order will be passed after the summer vacation.

In the latest development, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday (July 15) petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the Gujarat High Court's refusal to stay his conviction in the 'Modi surname' criminal defamation case.