Rahul Gandhi (C) arrives at the parliament in New Delhi on Monday. AP

Lawmakers from Congress and other opposition parties gathered outside the parliament’s entrance to cheer Rahul and their new alliance the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA).

The vote is not expected to affect the popularity of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which enjoys a strong majority. However, the return of Rahul to parliament is expected to strengthen the voice of the newly formed, 26-party opposition alliance led by Congress.

Congress party workers celebrate the reinstatement of their leader Rahul Gandhi as a lawmaker in Mumbai. AP

Lawmakers are expected to debate, and then vote, on the government’s performance from Tuesday to Thursday. Hours after the Lok Sabha secretariat on Monday restored the membership of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra thanked the people of the country in her brother’s fight for justice and truth, and said that now the voice of real issues will echo in parliament.

“The voice of the real issues of the people of the country will echo once again in the parliament,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet attaching a video of her brother arriving in parliament amid sloganeering by the party MPs and also by the INDIA bloc leaders.

“Heartfelt thanks to lakhs of Congress workers who fought shoulder to shoulder with Rahul Gandhi ji and crores of countrymen who supported the fight for justice and truth,” she said.

Rahul was convicted in March in a case brought by a BJP lawmaker over 2019 comments deemed insulting to Modi and others with the same name, including the lawmaker. Upon his conviction, Rahul, 53, lost his parliamentary seat and was jailed for two years but granted bail.

The Supreme Court last week suspended the conviction, allowing Rahul to return to parliament and contest next year’s elections.

On Monday, Rahul entered the parliament building after showing respect to the statue of freedom movement leader Mahatma Rahul in the complex. He did not speak to reporters.

“I have returned to parliament after paying my respects to Bapu,” Rahul later posted on Facebook, referring endearingly to Mahatma Rahul as father.

The alliance is making plans to run against the BJP in national elections due by May 2024.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the decision to reinstate Rahul “brings relief to the people of India, and especially to Wayanad,” his constituency in the southern state of Kerala.

BJP has said the Supreme Court has only suspended Rahul’s conviction and had not overturned it.

Rahul on Monday removed the mention of ‘Dis’Qualified MP’ from his official X handle (formerly Twitter) with ‘Member of parliament’ words after his membership was restored on Monday.

Rahul removed the word disqualified from his official bio and mentioned ‘Member of parliament.’ Rahul’s disqualification from parliament galvanised India’s splintered opposition to form the INDIA alliance to jointly take on BJP.

Leaders of the alliance, which has less than half of BJP’s 301 members in the lower house of parliament, have held two meetings since June and are due to meet again on Aug. 31 and Sept.1 to name a convenor and a co-ordination panel.

Ghanshyam Tiwari, spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party, a key member of the INDIA alliance, said Rahul had “emerged as a formidable architect and leader” of the alliance.

“A strong Congress party with the rising stature of Rahul Rahul and determined leadership of Kharge will make the alliance the leading force in every state,” he said.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat had disqualified him as MP on March 24. The Congress leader had also vacated his official bungalow on April 22 after he lost his membership.

A Surat court had earlier found him guilty and handed him the maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment - leading to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

Agencies