Rahul Gandhi was an MP from the seat of Wayanad in Kerala.

Washington:

The United States is watching Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s case in Indian courts, US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel mentioned on Monday (native time), including that the US engages with the Indian authorities on a shared dedication to democratic values, together with freedom of expression.

“Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy, and we’re watching Mr Gandhi’s (Rahul Gandhi) case in Indian courts,” he mentioned in a press briefing whereas responding to a query concerning Rahul Gandhi’s expulsion from the Indian Parliament.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was disqualified on Friday as a Member of Lok Sabha (MP) from the date of his conviction within the felony defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ comment. Rahul Gandhi was an MP from the seat of Wayanad in Kerala.

“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,” Vedant Patel mentioned.

When requested whether or not the US is partaking with India or Rahul Gandhi, he mentioned, “I don’t have any specific engagements to read out… but as I am sure you know some of these covered this department for some time it is normal and standard for us to engage with members of opposition parties in any country where we have bilateral relationships but I don’t have any specific engagement to read out.”

The improvement comes after the Surat court docket on Thursday, sentenced Congress chief Rahul Gandhi to 2 years imprisonment in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ comment made in 2019 throughout an election rally in Karnataka.

Rahul Gandhi made the “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname” comment in April 2019, at a Lok Sabha election rally at Kolar in Karnataka. The felony defamation case towards Rahul Gandhi was filed by BJP MLA from Surat West Purnesh Modi.

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