Indian opposition holds Gandhi-inspired protest calling Modi ‘a coward’

‘Our fight for truth, against tyranny goes on’, says Congress party senior leader

Members and supporters of India’s largest opposition party protested on Sunday against their leader’s disqualification from parliament in nationwide sit-ins inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi, a senior member of the Congress party, lost his seat in the lower house after a court in Gujarat sentenced him to two years in prison over a 2019 joke about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname.

Mr Gandhi, 52, is part of the Gandhi political dynasty and one of the most high-profile opposition figures in India. His disqualification comes as a major blow just a year before general elections in which Mr Modi will seek a third term.