Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal extends support to Rahul Gandhi in defamation lawsuit

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has shown a change in his stance towards the Congress party by openly supporting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he was sentenced to two years in jail in a defamation case. Kejriwal alleged that there was a conspiracy to “eliminate” non-BJP leaders and parties by prosecuting them. This support from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) comes at a time when Kejriwal is attempting to forge an alliance of “like-minded” parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. Previously, the Congress did not support AAP when Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI. The Surat court has granted Gandhi bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. The Congress has stated that Gandhi will file an appeal against the verdict. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has also expressed disagreement with the court verdict against Gandhi, stating that opposition forms the core of democracy and dissent should not be stifled.