Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, March 28: US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated on Monday (local time) that the US is keeping an eye on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s legal case in India. He also stated that the US and the Indian government engage in dialogue regarding a shared commitment to democratic values, such as freedom of expression.
“Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy, and we’re watching Gandhi’s (Rahul Gandhi) case in Indian courts,” he said in a press briefing while responding to a question.
On Friday, Congressman Rahul Gandhi was declared ineligible to serve as a Member of Parliament (MP) as of the date of his conviction in the criminal defamation case related to his statement about the ‘Modi surname.’ Rahul Gandhi served as an MP for the Kerala district of Wayanad.
“The US engages with the government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values, including of course freedom of expression in our engagements with our Indian partners,” he added.
“We continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles and the protection of human rights including freedom of expression as a key to strengthening both our democracies,” he further said.
This result comes after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was given a two-year jail term by a Surat court on Thursday in a defamation case over his statement about the ‘Modi surname’ he made in 2019 during an election rally in Karnataka.
At a Lok Sabha election rally in Kolar, Karnataka, in April 2019, Rahul Gandhi remarked, “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” Purnesh Modi, a BJP lawmaker from Surat West, brought the criminal defamation action against Rahul Gandhi.
