Rahul Gandhi, 52, has been found guilty of defamation for the 2019 election campaign, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a criminal.

Spurred by Rahul Gandhi's defamation case, the Congress today called together the opposition leaders. 12 opposition parties gathered at the office of Congress president and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in Parliament.

At around 11:20 am today, all opposition parties will move from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Congress said. The party said that they have requested Chief Minister Draupadi Murmu to give time to express her views.

Rahul Gandhi, 52, has been found guilty of defamation for the 2019 election campaign, suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a criminal. However, he was released on bail and his prison term was suspended for 30 days to allow him to appeal the case.

"This is not just a legal issue, it is also a very serious political issue, which is related to the future of our democracy. This is a great example of Modi government's politics of vengeance, politics of threats, politics of intimidation and politics of harassment," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh told reporters after the party met last evening to discuss its strategy.

The Surat court's decision is the latest order against political parties and companies seen as critical of the Modi government.

Mr. Ramesh said that the meeting at Congress leader M Kharge's house lasted for about two hours and it was decided that the party leader would hold a meeting with all the Pradesh Congress leaders and the leaders of the Congress Legislature in the evening and that - Plan a riot in the state.

From Monday, the opposition leaders will also hold protests in Delhi and other states over the issue.