Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that he will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS.
I will never stop fighting the hateful & divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I saidhttps://t.co/bUWzTHrgHW
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 25, 2016
This development comes a day after Rahul Gandhi told the Supreme Court that he had never blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as an institution for killing Mahatma Gandhi, but those associated with it who were behind the assassination, he
During the 2014 election campaign rally in Thane, Rahul had said, “RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people (BJP) talk of him… They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji.”
Post these allegations, a defamation case was slapped against him by RSS activist Mahadev Kunte.
Rahul’s lawyer, former union minister Kapil Sibal, told judges that Gandhi had not blamed the RSS as an institution for the killing of the Father of the Nation, but “people associated with it.”
Gandhi said his remark had been misinterpreted by the RSS worker who filed the initial complaint against him. He had in July refused to apologise and settle the case.
Speaking on the issue, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said wisdom has prevailed upon the Congress leader and although it may be a “U-turn”, it was a “good turn”.
“I hope wisdom will prevail upon him and others not to make such offensive remarks against a nationalist organisation,” Naidu said.
Defending Rahul’s statements, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh dismissed suggestions that Rahul Gandhi has done a U-turn in the Supreme Court on the RSS and said the party vice-president stands by his assertion that the person who assassinated MK Gandhi was from the organisation.
“No U-turn by Rahul Gandhi on RSS. He stands by what he said. The person who killed Gandhi was from RSS. It is the ideology of hate and violence which killed Mahatma Gandhi,” the Congress General Secretary said in a series of tweets.
No U Turn by Rahul Gandhi on RSS. He stands by what he said. Person who killed was from RSS.
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) August 25, 2016
It is the Ideology of hate and violence which killed Mahatma Gandhi.
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) August 25, 2016
The Supreme Court has asked the RSS complainant to offer his response next week. “We understand the accused never blamed RSS as the killer of Gandhi but a person associated with the RSS,” the court said.
