Stand by every single word I said about RSS: Rahul

At the election rally in March past year, Rahul had accused RSS members of killing Gandhi, who was gunned down by Nathuram Godse.

Mr Sibal said, Mr Gandhi only had said that Mahatma Gandhi was killed by a person who was associated with the RSS. I stand by every single word I said, Rahul tweeted today. The court said on Wednesday that Mr.Gandhi “never blamed the RSS as the killer of Gandhi but a person associated with the RSS”. Rajesh Mahadev Kunte, secretary of Bhiwandi unit of RSS, had alleged in his complaint that Rahul told in an election rally at Sonale on March 6, 2015 that the “RSS people killed Gandhiji”.

Making a complete U-turn, the Congress vice-president’s counsel Kapil Sibal yesterday told the Supreme Court that the former never accused the RSS as an institution that killed Mahatma Gandhi.

“RSS people killed Gandhiji”.

The RSS reacted sharply, demanding an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his remark. “But with regard to Rahul Gandhi’s statement whereby he says that he stands by his comment on the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, then I would say it is shamefulness at its best”, he said. The court’s observations that Rahul Gandhi may have to face trial in the case follows the court’s May ruling which upheld the constitutionality of criminal defamation laws in India.

Congress leaders said it was crucial to confront the perception about Rahul’s turnaround as the RSS-BJP would have used this to reverse the historical truth and also portrayed Rahul as a leader who knew nothing and stood for nothing. The RSS’s official Twitter handle asked Rahul to apologise and never repeat “that lie”. Gandhi said the petitioner misinterpreted his statement, reported NDTV. He said while the bunch of petitions challenging defamation provisions have been rejected, challenge to Maharashtra High Court order is pending adjudication before Supreme Court in a special leave petition. On 19 July 2016, the Supreme Court said that indulging in “collective denunciation” against an organisation is wrong. Supreme Court almost adjourned the order to July 23 without passing any order.