New Delhi: Protesting the court verdict which held Congress leader Rahul Gandhi guilty in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his "Modi surname" remarks, the Congress has decided to take to the streets to launch a massive agitation against the conviction.
The main opposition party will meet President Droupadi Murmu along with other parties to discuss the matter.
The Congress has also called an emergency meeting in Delhi at 5 pm to discuss further course of action with regard to Rahul Gandhi's conviction in the case.
Presidents of all PCCs (Pradesh Congress Committees), parliamentary party leaders and steering committee members, among others, will take part in the meeting.
The Congress announced a mass agitation on Thursday immediately after Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court in a defamation case and said it will not just fight the case legally but also politically.
Following the court verdict, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge convened a meeting of senior party leaders and MPs at his residence where it was decided that a protest would be staged at Vijay Chowk on Friday.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the party will hold a meeting with other opposition leaders in the morning and would stage a protest march from the Parliament House to Vijay Chowk.
The opposition parties have also sought time from President Droupadi Murmu on Friday afternoon to raise the matter with her.
Ramesh said the meeting at Kharge's residence lasted around two hours and it was decided that the party president would hold a meeting with all state unit chiefs and Congress Legislature Party leaders and plan agitations in states.
"We will hold protests across Delhi and in other states on Monday on this issue," Ramesh said.
It is just not a legal issue, but also a serious political matter linked with the future of democracy in the country, he said.
"This is another major example of the Modi government's politics of vendetta, threat and intimidation. We will fight it legally as well as politically. We will not bow down or be intimidated by such politics and will turn this into a major political issue," Ramesh said.
(With PTI inputs)
