Electoral scene

Suhas Plashikar https://youtube.com/embed/l2e880YvERU?start=544&end=715  Indian public is not sleeping they are being put to sleep. There is a kind of hynotism that this leader is the final word of wisdom. What Rahul is doing is break the spell of this hynoptism.    Also see https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/rahul-gandhi-conviction-disqualification-why-bjp-loves-to-hate-rahul-8517128/

'Thanks to Modi Saab, He is Turning Rahul Into Gandhi': Non-Congress Oppn Unites Post RaGa's Removal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd6bW8cejAc The Wire Mar 28, 2023
With only one year to go for the general elections of 2024, the opposition parties in India are seeing Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a potential glue to keep the so called opposition unity intact. On 27th March, a meeting of senior opposition leaders commenced at Mallikarjun Kharge’s house in New Delhi, but as Pratap Bhanu Mehta says, this opposition unity is more like a chimera at the moment, meaning it is more performative than it being real.
We will have to wait and see if this analysis is true, but what we see for now is a clear opposition unity, at least on paper and in the media. Take a look at how various non-Congress parties react to the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha.
We are joined by Rajya Sabha MP of Shiv Sena (UT), Priyanka Chaturvedi, DMK’s Lok Sabha MP Dr Kalanidhi Veeraswamy, CPM’s Tikender Panwar, Raj Bhati, the spokesperson of Samajwadi Party and the spokesperson of RJD Mr. Nawal Kishore.

बड़े-बड़े नेताओं को घसीट कर ले गई पुलिस, Rahul Gandhi के लिए लाल किले पर कांग्रेस का मशाल जुलूस  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErKlekUp1hE 28.3.2023  Congress leaders with torches in their hands gathered near the Red Fort on Tuesday to protest against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament. Where the police was already ready. As soon as the Congress leader reached the Red Fort, the police started taking him into custody. Police forcibly picked up many leaders and put them in the van.

अब Modi सरकार पूरी तरह से बौखलाई हुई है- Jairam Ramesh | Adani Scam | Rahul Gandhi Disqualified  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVt3khYCzcw 28.3.23

Editorial with Sujit Nair : Is Rahul'S jibes on Savarkar harming Congress Prospects? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctM_Uk-7mPw In this episode of editorial Mr Sujit Nair talks about the the recent jibe by congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Savarkar and its political repercussions on MVA.

Delhi Congress holds ‘mashaal’ march to protest against Rahul Gandhi disqualification, many detained https://youtu.be/tIgqFDpYeGc?list=RDNSTO2QMjR1ce4  Mar 28, 2023 Delhi Congress today organised ‘Mashaal’ march to protest against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha. Several Congress leaders were detained during the 'Loktantra Bachao Mashaal Shanti March' and were brought to Kingsway Camp PS in North Delhi. Later, major leaders along with other detainees were released. Section 144 was also issued in the Red Fort area ahead of Congress march. Women Congress leaders alleged that Delhi Police misbehaved with them while detaining.

A.M. Singhvi On Rahul's Savarkar Remark:'Local Considerations Led To Misunderstanding’ |Daily Mirror https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO2QMjR1ce4 MIRROR NOW
 Mar 28, 2023 In this episode of Daily Mirror, the host Shreya Dhoundial will discuss how another day, same all chaos in Parliament. That’s been the story of India’s Parliament over the last couple of weeks. First, the Adani issue stalled proceedings and now Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification. For a second day in a row, Congress MPs turned up wearing black clothes in protest. They rushed to the house and chanted slogans against the government. So both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were adjourned within minutes. But in this short time there was maximum chaos. Congress MP tore up pieces of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification notice and threw it at the Speaker’s chair. The Congress is also planning to move a no-confidence motion against speaker Om Birla. Outside the house, the opposition organised a march from Parliament to Vijay Chowk. In response a few BJP MPs participated in a counter-protest. They accused Rahul Gandhi of insulting OBC communities with his comments on the ‘Modi surname’. We are joined by a few panelists who will be expressing their views on this issue. “Rahul Gandhi is being intimidated & harassed; MPs being threatened with defamation. Opposition parties are united against threat to democracy,” said Dr. A.M. Singhvi, Congress MP.

Why Rahul Gandhi’s Disqualification May Be a Turning Point  Christophe Jaffrelot  https://thewire.in/politics/why-rahul-gandhis-disqualification-may-be-a-turning-point 
A new sequence in Indian politics has just started. When institutions of the Republic are captured by the ruling party the way they are in India today, the opposition is forced to find alternative ways and means. Rahul Gandhi first invested himself in Parliament, then embarked on a Bharat Jodo Yatra to forge a deeper connect with the people. He had to be neutralised by the ruling regime.

1. India, therefore, is weakening its claim of being the “mother of democracy” and the “Guru of the word”  2. radical moves like this one foster the unity of the opposition. 3. the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi (and his possible imprisonment) may be counterproductive for the country’s rulers. .. it may result in the shift of the victimisation repertoire from one side of the political spectrum to the other...,

But the ball is in the court of the opposition, of the judiciary – and in the court of Rahul himself! I do not expect any reaction from the West whose priorities are not articulated in terms of democratic values anymore and whose presence in the debate may be counterproductive anyway: 

Karnataka polls: Progressive thinkers, writers launch campaign,   Eddelu Karnataka, to vote BJP out   https://thefederal.com/states/south/karnataka/karnataka-polls-progressive-thinkers-writers-launch-campaign-to-vote-bjp-out/
25 March, 2023  A statement said.. “We must take up the task of preserving the nation’s identity, heritage, life and future.” At the forefront of the campaign are veteran writers, academics and activists, including Devanur Mahadeva, Purushothama Bilimale, Kamala Hampana, Rahmat Tarikere, Vijaya, Professor A.R. Vasavi, Allamaprabhu Bettadur, Du Gu Saraswati, former labour Minister S K Kanta, former minister H Ekantiah, environment expert Tara Rao and Dr Srinivas Kakkilaya.
Backing them are members of the “Bharat Jodo Abhiyan” including Vijay Mahajan and Yogendra Yadav.

“In today’s suffocating toxic political environment, the coming elections will decide whether our country can take a long breath and recover,” a statement put out by the group said. “In the last four years, Karnataka has seen the worst days in its post-independence history.

Writers and thinkers, including the late Prof UR Anantha Murthy and Devanur Mahadeva, had in 2012-13 launched a similar movement against the then BJP government.