Rahul's disqualification shocking, country passing through very difficult times: Kejriwal

AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Centre over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha, saying it was "shocking" and that the country was passing through very difficult times.

He referred to the Congress MP's disqualification in a speech in the Delhi Assembly and said the BJP was scared.

Later talking to reporters, he said it was "quite a worrisome situation". "It's not just a fight of the Congress or Rahul Gandhi, it's a fight of the entire opposition," he said.

Kejriwal alleged that the BJP wanted to create a situation wherein there is just one party in the country. This is "dictatorship" and the BJP government is "more dangerous" than the British rulers before Independence, he charged.

"What is going on in the country today is very dangerous. By eliminating the opposition, these people want to create an environment of One-Nation, One-Party, this is called dictatorship. My appeal to the countrymen is that we have to come forward together, we have to save democracy, we have to save the country," he told reporters.

"The disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha is shocking. The country is passing through very difficult times. They have terrorised the entire country. One hundred and thirty crore people will have to unite against this arrogant power," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha on Friday, a day after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his remark on the "Modi surname".

Announcing his disqualification, the Lok Sabha Secretariat in a notification said that it would be effective from March 23, the day of his conviction.

With PTI inputs