New Delhi, March 27 : Congress MPs wore black clothes to Parliament on Monday in protest against Rahul Gandhi's expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

Mr Kharge said that the Congress party welcomes anyone who strides forward to “protect democracy”.

"I thank everyone who supported this. That is why, I thanked everyone yesterday and I thank them today as well. We welcome anyone who comes forward to protect democracy and Constitution and safeguard the people. We extend heartfelt gratitude to the people who support us," the Congress president said.

Congress MPs wore black shirts as a mark of protest over Mr Gandhi's disqualification. K Chandrasekhar Rao-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi, a rival of the Congress in Telangana, joined the "black shirt" protest along with Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). After Rahul Gandhi's "not Savarkar" jibe at the BJP over its demand for an apology, Uddhav Thackeray had, on Sunday, warned him that demeaning Vinayak Savarkar would create "cracks" in the opposition alliance.