Leader of India's Congress Party says Modi is 'terrified'

India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said yesterday that he had been disqualified from parliament because the prime minister, Narendra Modi, was scared of him asking tough questions.

- ALISHA RAHAMAN SARKAR

The leader of the Congress Party lost his seat on Friday, a day after a court in Gujarat sentenced him to two years in prison for a comment he made in 2019 about the prime minister's surname during an election rally.

The disqualification is a major blow to India's opposition, just a year before the country is to hold a general election, when Mr Modi will seek a third term in office. Gandhi, 52, is one of the most high-profile opposition leaders and was expected to go up against Mr Modi next year.

"I have been disqualified because the prime minister is scared of my next speech, he is scared of the next speech that is going to come on [Gautam] Adani," Gandhi said in his first comment since the court verdict. "So he is terrified about the next speech that is going to come, and they don't want that speech to be in the parliament," he said, referring to the prime minister.

Mr Adani is the founder and chair of the Adani Group, a multinational conglomerate, and is said to be a close associate of Mr Modi.