Rahul Gandhi expresses regret before SC for his remark

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Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday expressed regret before the Supreme Court over his remark 'Chowkidar Chor Hai' in connection with the apex court order on the admissibility of three documents in the Rafale fighter jet deal.

He said that his statements were "used and misused" by the political opponents and that he "gave the statements in the heat of the political campaigning".

The Congress chief made the submission in his response to a contempt plea filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi regarding his statement over the Supreme Court's order in the Rafale deal.

The contempt petition accused Gandhi of misquoting the apex court's order by saying that the court accepted that 'chowkidar' (a reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi), is a "chor' (thief).

On April 15, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had sought an explanation from Gandhi on or before April 22 on the plea. It posted the matter for hearing on April 23.

The Congress president while speaking to the media in Amethi said, "The Supreme Court has made it clear that "chowkidar" allowed "theft and that it had accepted that some sort of corruption had taken place in the Rafale deal".