Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh reacted to Congress Party parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case on Thursday
Singh, one of the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians, stated that Gandhi should now realize that "words are deadlier than weapons."
"Rahul Gandhi must accept the fact that words are always deadlier than weapons. And, it harms much more when words spoken are lies and baseless," Singh told reporters in New Delhi. "We all must take note of this judgment and make sure that we do not cross the line while speaking in public life," he added.
Singh's remarks came after a court in Gujarat's Surat city handed Gandhi a two-year suspended jail term for comments he made during a rally in 2019.
"The sentence awarded is for two years and against that sentence, he has pled that he may be released on bail till the appeal period and as per law, the Court has granted him bail for 30 days and until appeal," Ketan Reshamwala, the lawyer for BJP legislator Purnesh Modi, who filed the complaint against Gandhi said.
However, Rahul Gandhi secured bail after signing a surety bond of INR 10,000 ($122).
Why Was Gandhi Charged?
Addressing a public meeting in Karnataka, Gandhi took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by linking him to other convicted criminals with the same last name, stating "all thieves have a common Modi surname."
Gandhi referred to Indian diamantaire Nirav Modi, who escaped police authorities in India in 2018. He's accused of defrauding multiple Indian banks, including the State Bank of India, for more than $2 billion.
The fugitive diamantaire is currently in jail in London after losing his appeal against extradition to India in 2022.