New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) The Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the government over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha, alleging that it signifies "strangulation of democracy" with the ruling dispensation finding new techniques of "gagging" him.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here after Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha, party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the issue was both political and legal.

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"It is a political issue because it signifies the systematic emasculation of democratic institutions by the ruling party and the strangulation of democracy itself," he said.

He alleged that there had been "unthinkable assaults" on the freedom of speech with people being told that they will face the worst possible consequences -- civil, criminal, incarceration, intimidation and harassment.

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Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh was also present in the press conference.

Singhvi said, "We all know Rahul Gandhi has been speaking inside and outside Parliament fearlessly. He has spoken on social issues, economic issues, political issues without any fear or inhibition...clearly he is paying the price for it."

He claimed that the government is rattled because Gandhi speaks with facts and figures on issues such as demonetisation, "supposed clean chit to China" on border issue and a flawed GST.

"This government is finding new techniques of throttling his voice, of gagging him. Rahul Gandhi goes abroad, he is not allowed to speak on grounds of fake nationalism," Singhvi alleged.

He comes back and his speeches abroad become the basis of action against him inside Parliament, he said.

The ruling party demands apology after he comes back from aborad and there is disruption by the treasury benches, he noted and alleged that all this is part of a pattern to stop Gandhi because he speaks fearlessly and to divert attention from real issues of the country.

Singhvi said action had been taken against Gandhi with "amazing alacrity" unlike in many other cases.

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

"Consequent upon his conviction by the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Surat...Rahul Gandhi, Member of Lok Sabha representing the Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency of Kerala stands disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction i.e. 23 March, 2023," the notification read.

On Thursday, the court in Surat sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case, filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?"

Following his disqualification, Gandhi would not be able to contest elections for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction and sentence.

(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)