NEW DELHI
\nLawmakers belonging to India\u2019s main opposition Congress party wore black outfits, held placards that said \u201cSave Democracy\u201d and threw paper in parliament on Monday in protest against the disqualification of their leader Rahul Gandhi from the chambers.
\nGandhi, 52, lost his parliament seat on Friday, a day after a court in the western state of Gujarat convicted him and sentenced him to two years in jail for a defamatory comment he made during an election campaign rally in 2019.
\nGandhi is out on bail and his lawyers are expected to challenge the verdict in a higher court this week.
\n\u201cThe decision to disqualify Gandhi marks a black day in our country\u2019s democracy,\u201d Congress party president Mallikarjun Kharge, dressed in a black outfit and a black turban, told reporters outside parliament.
\nGandhi told reporters on Saturday that he was disqualified from parliament for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his relationship with Gautam Adani, founder of the Adani group business conglomerate.
\n\u201cWe will continue to question Modi and his government for manipulating state-run assets to favour one company,\u201d Kharge said.
\nGandhi and other opposition leaders say the prime minister\u2019s longstanding ties with Gautam Adani helped the business group secure investments from state-run firms and win big ticket contracts such as the management of six airports.
\nBoth the government and the Adani group have denied the accusations.
\nThe Adani group is trying to rebuild investor confidence after U.S. short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens – charges the company has denied.
\nHindenburg\u2019s Jan. 24 report eroded more than $100 billion in the value of the company\u2019s shares.
\nOpposition lawmakers have been vocal about their demand for a joint parliamentary committee inquiry into Adani\u2019s finances, forcing the speaker to repeatedly adjourn proceedings of parliament.
\nA senior federal minister said Congress lawmakers were insulting parliament by not allowing it to function.
\n\u201cThey are determined to humiliate parliament, which is the temple of democracy,\u201d trade minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI Lawmakers belonging to India\u2019s main opposition Congress party wore black outfits, held placards that said \u201cSave Democracy\u201d and threw paper in parliament on Monday in protest against the disqualification of their leader Rahul Gandhi from the chambers. Gandhi, 52, lost his parliament seat on Friday, a day after a court in the western […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":322237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-322224","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n