Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should be reinstated as an MP with the same speed at which he was disqualified after his conviction in a defamation case, the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Saturday, according to The Indian Express.

Chowdhury urged Speaker Om Birla to reinstate Gandhi as a Lok Sabha in view of the Supreme Court’s decision to stay his conviction. The former Wayanad MP was convicted of criminal defamation case for a speech he made ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which he asked why many thieves had the surname Modi.

Gandhi was disqualified as an MP on March 24, a day after a Gujarat court held him guilty and sentenced him to two years in jail.

Chowdhury on Saturday said that Birla advised him to contact the Lok Sabha Secretary General’s office and hand him the letter seeking Gandhi’s reinstatement. He said that an under secretary at the office received the letter.

“Although he signed, he did not affix the seal,” Chowdhury said, according to The Indian Express.

The Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha said that along with the letter, he submitted the notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualifying Gandhi and a copy of the Supreme Court order.

“I have done all that is required according to the rules…on behalf of my party…The speed with which Rahul Gandhi was disqualified…his reinstatement should happen with the same speed.” he said.

Chowdhury urged Birla to reinstate Gandhi as an MP before Monday, when the House will meet again after the weekend break.

“ The alacrity with which Rahul Gandhi was disqualified, we did not say anything then; the day he was asked to vacate his house, that day was also a holiday, today is also a holiday, us din ki tatparta kuch alag thi…aaj ki tatparta kuch dheemi lag rahi hai [the alacrity of that day was something else, the speed today is a bit slower],” he remarked.

Gandhi was asked to leave the government bungalow allotted to him three days after he was disqualified as an MP. He vacated the bungalow on April 22, and said that he had paid the price for speaking the truth.