Rahul Pleads Not Guilty in Defamation Case, Says Will Fight RSS, BJP Harder

Rahul had alleged that the RSS-BJP ideology was responsible for Gauri Lankesh's murder.

Mumbai: Hearing the defamation case against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for alleging that the RSS-BJP ideology was behind the murder of activist-journalist Gauri Lankesh, a Mumbai court on Thursday released the leader on a surety of Rs 15,000. Former MP Eknath Gaikwad gave the surety for Rahul.

The leader had pleaded not guilty. Rahul chose to appear before the court just a day after tendering his resignation from the post of Congress President.

After appearing in court, Rahul said, “I didn’t say anything in court, I had to appear. It’s a fight of ideology, I’m standing with the poor & farmers. Aakraman ho raha hai, mazaa aa raha hai’. I’ll fight 10 times harder than I did in the last five years.”

#WATCH Rahul Gandhi after appearing in a Mumbai court in a defamation case: I didn’t say anything in court,I had to appear. It’s a fight of ideology,I’m standing with the poor & farmers.’Aakraman ho raha hai, mazaa aa raha hai’. I’ll fight 10 times harder than I did in last 5 yrs pic.twitter.com/AoeQJfdTBU

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019

Hundreds of his followers were lined up on either side of the road leading up to the court. Rahul was accompanied by Mallikarjun Kharge and Milind Deora. The Congress leader was summoned, besides CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, by a metropolitan magistrate’s court in February on a complaint filed by Dhrutiman Joshi, a lawyer and worker of the RSS or Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP.

#WATCH Congress supporters gather outside Mumbai court where Rahul Gandhi has arrived in connection with a defamation case filed against him in 2017 for allegedly linking Gauri Lankesh’s murder with “BJP-RSS ideology”. He was accompanied by Mallikarjun Kharge & Milind Deora. pic.twitter.com/FtF5doIcgD

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019

Observers are linking Rahul’s decision to appear in court to something he pointed out in his open letter a day ago. He had written, “I personally fought the Prime Minister, the RSS and the institutions they have captured with all my being. I fought because I love India… At times, I stood completely alone and am extremely proud of it.”

“We will not defeat our opponents without sacrificing the desire for power and fighting a deeper ideological battle,” he had said.