Rahul stands disqualified, should not have attended Lok Sabha: Sushil Modi

BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, who has also filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, has said the Congress leader should not have attended Lok Sabha as he stood disqualified as an MP

BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi, who has also filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, has said the Congress leader should not have attended Lok Sabha on Friday as he stood "disqualified" as an MP as soon as the Surat court convicted him.

Gandhi was convicted Thursday in a criminal defamation case for his "Modi surname" remarks and sentenced to two years of imprisonment. The court granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.

The Wayanad MP attended Lok Sabha on Friday briefly as the House was adjourned for an hour soon after it convened for the day.

Speaking to reporters in Parliament complex, the former Bihar deputy chief minister said, "I personally feel he should not have attended Parliament today. Already, he is disqualified."

The Rajya Sabha MP said it is only a matter of procedure before a notification is put out by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

He said he is going by the opinions of legal experts on the matter and added that Gandhi's disqualification can be averted only if a higher court suspends his conviction. The suspension of conviction occurs only in the rarest of rare cases, he noted.

Modi has also filed a defamation case in a Patna court against the former Congress president in the similar matter.

He said Gandhi with his remarks "abused" the backward classes, and they will take "revenge" on the Congress for the statement in the upcoming polls. The 'Modi' surname is used most by people hailing from the Other Backward Classes.