Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today after the Lok Sabha removed Rahul Gandhi as a member following his conviction in a criminal defamation case involving a remark about the surname “Modi”.

“To free India from the British, our ancestors fought for freedom. However, today’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is more dangerous than the British… This is not just a battle for Congress. This is a battle for the country’s survival”, Kejriwal said today in the Delhi assembly.

Arvind Kejriwal is the latest in a long line of opposition figures to criticize the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration for what they called the use of a frivolous and absurd case to target Rahul Gandhi a year before the general election.

On Thursday, a court in Surat, Gujarat, PM Modi’s home state, sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case filed by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi over the Congress leader’s remark asking whether those with the surname “Modi” are “thieves”. Mr. Gandhi has 30 days to appeal his conviction to a higher court.

Kejriwal said, “Rahul Gandhi’s (Lok Sabha) suspension is a cowardly act. That is an indication of a fearful government. They want to create a situation in which the country has only one party and one leader”.

Rahul Gandhi’s remark, according to BJP leaders, was a smear against all those with the Modi surname, which is associated with the Other Backward Classes, or OBCs. They claimed that Mr. Gandhi’s conviction had nothing to do with them and that the case followed due process.

Kiren Rijiju, BJP leader and Law Minister stated, “Rahul Gandhi made a slanderous remark that embarrassed the entire OBC (Other Backward Classes) community. Surprisingly, some members of Congress are attempting to defend it”.

Also read: Rahul, The First ‘Gandhi’ Who Disqualified As an MP After Conviction, Big Blow To The ‘Autocratic’ Party of Democracy?