RSS spreading lies to tarnish image of Rahul: Venugopal

Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal today accused the RSS of "spreading lies to tarnish the image" of the party Vice President Rahul Gandhi who was leading a strong people's resistance against the Hindutva force's move to saffronise the country.
Days after RSS in its mouthpiece alleged that Congress Vice President claimed his salary and daily Parliamentary allowance during his absence from Parliament in February- March, the former Union Minister said, the saffron outfit was trying to "mislead" people by hiding the fact that all Lok Sabha MPs are entitled to get their monthly salary during their entire term of office.

He said Rahul Gandhi did not draw any daily allowance during the period when he did not attend the Parliament.
"The MPs' salaries are deposited in their bank accounts through a mechanism set up by the Lok Sabha secretariat.
"During the tenure of previous governments, several BJP MPs, some of them are ministers in the Narendra Modi government, have got MP's salary through such a mechanism despite being absent from Parliament for weeks," claimed Venugopal, who is Deputy Chief Whip of Congress Parliamentary Party.
The former Union Minister said RSS was targeting Rahul as he was "successful in exposing their bid to polarise the people on communal lines".

"RSS must stop targeting Rahul Gandhi. They are spreading canards (against him). Their efforts to tarnish his image will not succeed. Peace loving people of the country are rallying behind him to resist the RSS' efforts to divide the country on communal lines," Venugopal said.
Congress had yesterday dismissed as a "patent lie" a report in the RSS mouthpiece which claimed that party vice- president Rahul Gandhi drew daily parliamentary allowance despite being absent from the House during his 56-day sabbatical earlier this year.