Shillong: 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 Gandhi has been handed a 2-year jail term, Conrad 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.

Mentionably, during his election speech in 2019, Rahul Gandhi insulted PM Modi and ridiculed that 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 said.

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.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)