New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) BJP leader Purnesh Modi, who had filed a defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Gujarat over his "Modi surname" remarks, was appointed as the party's in-charge for political affairs in Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu on Friday.

"Bharatiya Janata Party's national president JP Nadda has appointed Purnesh Modi as Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman Diu in-charge and Dushyant Patel co-incharge with immediate effect," the party said in a notification.

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Purnesh Modi, the BJP's Surat West MLA, had filed the criminal defamation case in a Surat court against Gandhi after he made the remarks during a rally in Karnataka's Kollar in April 2019.

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In March, the Surat court convicted Gandhi and sentenced him to two years imprisonment, following which he was disqualified as an MP from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership was reinstated after the Supreme Court stayed his conviction in August. PTI PK

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)