Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], March 25 (ANI): National People's Party (NPP) chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's action of challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'unfortunate' following his conviction in a defamation case by a Surat Court.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's disqualification by the Lok Sabha on Friday following the court's verdict, in which Rahul Gandhi has been handed a 2-year jail term, the NPP chief said, "It was unfortunate that Gandhi was not accepting the court's verdict and the rules of the ECI."He suggested that Rahul Gandhi should accept the verdict of the court rather than attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Also, he should accept the rules laid down by the Election Commission of India," he added.

During his election speech in 2019, Rahul Gandhi insulted PM Modi and ridiculed people with the surname Modi were all thieves. "Such a statement is an insult not just to the PM of the nation but also to the entire OBC community," Conrad pointed out.

He further asked Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his statement and focus on course correction rather than challenging the PM at this moment.

When asked whether this situation would impact the prospects of the Congress party in the upcoming 2024 election, the NPP chief opined that it would undoubtedly impact the Congress prospects in 2024.

"The Congress faced a difficult situation in 2014 and 2019, and this situation would further impact the Congress in the coming 2024 elections," he said.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stroked another controversy over his derogatory remark on Veer Savarkar.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital a day after he was convicted in a defamation case and subsequently disqualified from Lok Sabha, Gandhi said "My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi. Gandhis don't apologise to anyone."He further stated that he is not scared of going to prison and that his disqualification from Parliament was aimed at distracting people from the Adani issue.

He alleged that the BJP-led central government is allegedly protecting businessman Gautam Adani, who has been accused of stock manipulation. (ANI)