Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, was disqualified from the Indian Lok Sabha after being convicted in a criminal defamation case. The conviction resulted from comments by Gandhi, who questioned whether people with the surname “Modi” are “thieves”. The remarks were seen as a smear against the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) of India, to which the Modi surname is most often associated. The Supreme Court of India ordered the disqualification, using a rule which Congress tried to oppose with an ordinance in 2013. At the time, Rahul Gandhi himself objected and criticised the attempt to overturn the rule. Gandhi argued that if India wanted to stop corruption, it could not make such compromises. Congress eventually withdrew the ordinance, with many suggesting that it was Rahul Gandhi’s criticism that was the deciding factor. The BJP, led by Narendra Modi, swept to power in 2014. Since Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, several opposition leaders have criticised the move, arguing that it is part of a pattern of actions intended to vilify and discredit anyone who challenges BJP policies.
