Rahul Gandhi, leader of India’s main opposition Congress Party, was ousted from his parliament seat Friday.
Gandhi was expelled from his lower house seat a day after a court ordered a two-year jail term for him in a defamation case stemming from 2019 remarks he made questioning why a number of thieves share a surname with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Gandhi’s lawyers are set to appeal the case and the politician has not been detained.
Congress Party officials say the conviction was politically motivated.
“The BJP is fearful about the rise of Rahul Gandhi,” Pradip Bhattacharya, a Congress Party lawmaker from West Bengal state told Reuters. “He poses a direct threat to the Modi government,”
The 52-year-old politician was born into India’s most famous political dynasty. Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
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