Bhubaneswar, March 24 -- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been disqualified as the Member of Lok Sabha from the date of his conviction in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark.

His disqualification as Wayanad MP is effective from March 23, the day of his conviction, the secretariat said in its notification.

A court in Surat sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in a defamation case on Thursday, filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi for his alleged remark, "How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname?"

However, he was later granted bail by the court and his sentence was suspended for 30 days to let him appeal against the ruling.

Rahul Gandhi has been convicted under sections 499 and 500 of th...