Rahul Gandhi still has time to seek apology from the nation, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said on Thursday, after a Gujarat court rejected the Congress leader's plea seeking a stay on his conviction in a defamation case.

Gandhi was convicted last month in a case slapped by a Gujarat BJP MLA over the Congress leader's remarks at a rally in Kolar which were deemed to be insulting to the entire Modi community.

The former Congress president petitioned the sessions court in Gujarat, seeking a stay on his March 23 conviction in the criminal defamation case.

"Surat court rejecting Rahul Gandhi's plea to stay his conviction in the defamation case has once again proved that the Congress dynast intentionally insulted the OBC community of India in the name of abusing & attacking PM Sri Narendra Modi,” Thakur said. “Rahul Gandhi still has time to seek apology from the nation,” Thakur, a four-term Lok Sabha member, said.

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