Soon after his Lok Sabha membership was restored, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi arrived at Parliament House on Monday. Rahul, who offered floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi's statue, attended Lok Sabha proceedings after it resumed at noon. But, the session got adjourned within minutes.
He was welcomed by INDIA bloc leaders who chanted "Rahul Gandhi Zindabad". Congress leaders were also seen distributing sweets outside the Parliament buildings. Celebrations were also held at the AICC headquarters in Delhi.
This came as Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a notification announcing that his disqualification has been revoked and his membership restored following a Supreme Court order staying his conviction.
Senior Congress leaders and party workers hailed Gandhi's reinstatement as a Lok Sabha MP, saying it is a victory for truth and justice. The party also said that Rahul will be the key speaker in the debate on the no-confidence motion likely to be taken up in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Rahul's Twitter bio has been changed to 'Member of Parliament' from the earlier "Dis'Qualified MP" description. He had edited his bio to "Dis'Qualified MP" after he was disqualification from the Lok Sabha in March following his conviction in the Modi surname case. A Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years in jail. A punishment of two years and above automatically disqualifies a lawmaker.
Lok Sabha adjourned
The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday amid sloganeering by treasury and opposition benches over a report on Chinese funds coming to India.
As the House reassembled at 12 noon after an earlier adjournment, BJP member Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of a news report in the New York Times which claimed that web portal NewsClick has received Rs 38 crore funding and the money has been used to create an anti-India environment. Dubey alleged that NewsClick is a member of anti-India 'Tukde Tukde' gang, and demanded that the Government investigate the beneficiaries of the fundings.
"... Between 2005 and 2014, Chinese Government has paid money to Congress .... Congress wants to divide India ...," Dubey alleged in Lok Sabha, amid opposition uproar.
(With inputs from PTI)
