RSS wants to deter me from working for the poor: Rahul Gandhi

The Gandhi scion today appeared before a court in Guwahati in connection to a criminal defamation suit filed against him by an RSS volunteer

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said here today that he was against the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and all such organisations that tried to divide India. Appearing before the Kamrup (Metropolitan) chief judicial magistrate court in the city, in connection with a criminal defamation suit filed against him by an RSS volunteer, Gandhi said dragging him to courts were attempts to deter him for continuing with his fight for unity of the country. 

“These cases have been put against me because I am fighting for the interest of the poor people, for the rights of the farmers and for the unemployed youth who have aspirations. The idea is I do not fight for these people. I am not going to be deterred. Let them put as many cases on me as they want but I will continue with my fight for the unity of India,” the Gandhi scion said. 

The court case pertains to an incident that occurred during an election campaign rally of Gandhi in Barpeta in Lower Assam in December 2015. Though expected by many devotees, Gandhi did not visit the revered 16th century Vaishnavite monastery (Satra) during his ‘padayatra’ rally in Barpeta. 

Gandhi’s decision to give a miss to a site of Hindu religious worship soon kicked off a political storm as many saw the gesture of Gandhi was to appease the Muslim voters in the Muslim-majority Barpeta district in the poll-bound Assam. 

However, when quizzed by reporters, Gandhi said he was willing to go to the Satra but alleged was denied entry into it at the behest of the RSS. He also alleged that the RSS had assigned some women to prevent his entry into the monastery. Citing the reason for Gandhi not visiting the Satra, Chandan Sarkar, a minister in Gogoi cabinet then, did not mention anything about prohibition from RSS but said Gandhi was running short of time for which he had to give the Satra visit a miss. RSS, on the other hand, moved the court and filed a criminal defamation suit agasint Gandhi. 

The court today released the Congress vice-president on personal recognizance bond of Rs 50,000. The court fixed the next hearing of the case on November 5 and asked Gandhi to appear before it.