Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury seeks discussion in LS over Rahul's disqualification

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla demanding a debate in the house on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP after his conviction in a defamation case.A

In his letter, Chowdhury quoted the example of BJP's Amreli MP Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadia, who was not disqualified from his position despite being convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to a three-year jail term, and said that it is "intriguing" Gandhi was disqualified.

"There should be a debate in the Parliament as to ascertain the fact that whether our leader Rahul Gandhi has been awarded disproportionate punishment which smacks of cognitive dissonance or equality of law is meted out to all the elected members whosoever," he said in the letter.

Chowdhury referred to two conditions that are considered before disqualifying an elected member - the member has to be awarded a conviction for an offence, and has to be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than 2 years.

"In my view, the second condition cannot stand the test of the prescribed provision of the Representation of People Act as the sentence of Rahul Gandhi was suspended by the trial court," the Congress leader noted in the letter.