Congress just passed a law with Parliament out of session gutting the anti-corruption tools we all fought for, allowing criminals to stay in office through their appeals — all to save one powerful MP convicted of fraud. It’s insane, and it’s a stain on the history of this country.

This is the same party that marched with Gandhi and Nehru — that India’s poor, election after election, vote for with hope. This is the party that is supposed to offer a future for India as a united country, without religious divisions, without internal violence.

But a few crooked MPs don’t own Congress. We do. This is our party, and whether we vote for them or for the BJP, they represent all of India and are only as powerful as we make them. It’s time to take Congress back.

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will ask Sonia Gandhi and her ministers whether they support fast track courts for MPs, making sure that long appeals don’t mean Indians are stuck with criminal politicians for years. This smart move can fix the damage their new law does, and save the party from their corruption stained reputation so close to the election. But it’s going to take all of us, coming together, to take Congress back and make it see sense. Click below to stand up for our future together:

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We marched for Jan Lokpal in record numbers, and the Supreme Court answered, passing a brave ruling that bars convicted MPs from office. Then we came together and fought to keep that ruling safe from Parliamentary games until the session ended and politicians went home.

But then Congress used a rare power, called an ordinance, to pass a law without Parliament that says MPs can stay in office after a conviction for serious crimes, as long as they have an open appeal. With the long delays in court, this means convicted felons could serve in office for years, even decades. And the ordinance was suspiciously close to the conviction of powerful MP Rashid Masood for fraud, which makes it stink of the worst kind of corruption.

But the Supreme Court has a new solution, one that Congress can rise and take: allow politicians to exhaust appeals before they lose their jobs, but make sure they go to special “fast track” courts that make sure criminal politicians are quickly told their fate and then turfed out.

Before the ruling the Court has to ask Congress for an opinion. We have the chance to tell them what to say. They are our politicians, our governing party and they hold some of the brightest moments of India’s past in their party’s history. Let’s come together now to call on them to say yes to the Court and yes to a corruption-free future for India:

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Over 100,000 of us raised our voices to kick the rapists, murderers and fraudsters out of Parliament. We won the first round. Now let’s get Congress to, once and for, all live up to its obligation to protect the dream of a corruption-free India.

With hope,
Emma, Meredith, Aldine, Marie, Julien, Dalia, Alaphia, Ricken and the whole Avaaz team

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