Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel hits out at Centre with 'dictator' jibe, cites Indira's triumphant return

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel attacked the Narendra Modi-led Union government over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as Lok Sabha MP on Friday and claimed a "dictator" was trying to scare someone who is telling the whole nation "don't be afraid".

He also said such measures were taken against then prime minister Indira Gandhi but she returned triumphant, an apparent reference to two years of Janata Party rule after Emergency and her sweeping victory in the 1980 Lok Sabha polls.

He said the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to murder democracy and action against Gandhi was its "living example".

Rahul Gandhi, representing Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, was on Friday disqualified from the Lok Sabha a day after his conviction in a defamation case by a court in Surat in Gujarat.

"The greatest fear of a dictator is that people will stop fearing him (one day). You want to scare the one who is telling the whole nation not to be afraid . Some people did the same mistake with Indira ji and the rest is history. Will meet here in the people's court. There will be people and mass leaders. The only thing which will not be there is fear and dictators," Baghel tweeted.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function at Chattisgarh, Baghel said "The BJP has been misusing various institutions and wants to suppress their voices. It wants to murder democracy. Rahul ji had recently said abroad that democracy is getting weaker in the country. Its living example is being seen now in the country."

When the court has given him (Gandhi) an opportunity to appeal, then why has such action (disqualification) been taken in a hurry, the Chhattisgarh CM asked.

"This shows they want to scare Rahul ji, who has been asking the people of India not to be afraid. We will go to the people's court, fight for the people and Rahul Gandhi will be our mass leader," Baghel asserted.

Baghel said the BJP was silent on the questions raised by Rahul Gandhi in Parliament on the Adani issue but it will have to answer them soon.
Rahul Gandhi was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks at a 2019 poll rally in Karnataka.

However, the Surat court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.

With PTI inputs