Congress to continue fighting 'thought process' that killed Mahatma Gandhi

Backing party vice-president Rahul Gandhi's strongly worded statement on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Congress on Friday asserted that it will continue to fight the process of thought that killed Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948.

Congress leader and spokesman Randeep Surjewala told ANI here that the atmosphere of hate and division, whether it is by an organisation or by an individual, will always be fought decisively by the party leadership and crores of Congress workers.

"What Rahul ji said yesterday was true. We will continue to fight the hateful and divisive agenda in this country and will never say die, will never be deterred by threats, either by persecution or prosecution," he said.

Further stating that Nathuram Godse was affiliated to the RSS, Surjewala said Godse's brother Gopal is on record as admitting to this fact.

"It is true that Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi. He was affiliated to the RSS and this has been said by his own brother Gopal Godse. We will continue to fight that process of thought, which killed Mahatma Gandhi, as also champion and promote the thought represented by Mahatma Gandhi always," the Congress leader said.

Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet, "I will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said."

This development came a day after Rahul Gandhi's counsel, Kapil Sibal, told the Supreme Court that Gandhi had never blamed the Rashtriya RSS for killing Mahatma Gandhi.

Following Rahul's submission, a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman, said if the complainant agrees to the submission, it will take the statement on record and dispose of the petition.

Sibal cited the affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court, saying that Gandhi had only accused certain people of RSS and not the organisation as the killer of Mahatma Gandhi.

In his complaint, RSS Bhiwandi secretary Rajesh Mahadev Kunte alleged that Rahul told in an election rally in Sonale, Maharashtra, on March 6 last year, that "the RSS people killed Gandhiji".

He alleged that the Congress leader had sought to tarnish the reputation of RSS through his speech.