Defamation case: RSS slams Rahul Gandhi for his U-turn in SC

New Delhi, Sept 1: As Rahul Gandhi Thursday told the Supreme Court that he stood by every word he said about RSS being behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi, the Sangh family fountainhead questioned the Congress leader's U-turn and asked why he avoided trial in the case for two years.

"Then why Rahul Gandhi avoided the trial for two years under one pretext or other? Is he scared to face truth? He keeps on taking U-turns," RSS Communications department head Manmohan Vaidya said.

Earlier in the day, Rahul told the Supreme Court that he stood by every word of his statement against RSS for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi and was ready to face trial before a Maharashtra court which had issued summons to him as an accused in the case.

"I stand by each and every word. I will never take my words back. I stood by it yesterday, I stand by it today and I will stand by it in future. I am ready to go to trial," senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Rahul, told a division bench of the court.

The Congress vice president had told an election rally in Bhiwandi near Mumbai during the last Lok Sabha polls that RSS people had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi following which a local Sangh functionary had filed a defamation case against him for allegedly tarnishing the image of the organisation. The Congress leader later moved the apex court for quashing the case.

"I will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said," he tweeted earlier this week.

Questioning Rahul over his remark that he stood by every word he said about the outfit, RSS asked whether the Congress leader was talking about his affidavit or the "lie" in his public speeches, and demanded an apology from him.

"Stand by every word I said about RSS: R Gandhi. Which words, in affidavit filed in court or the 'lie' uttered in public speech?," Vaidya said on Twitter recently.

In his affidavit in the Supreme Court, the Congress leader had earlier said he had never blamed RSS as an institution for the killing of Gandhi.

The official facebook page of RSS said, "Rahul Gandhi and Congress Party should stop lying and apologise."

In a post titled "Satyamev Jayate - The Truth Triumphs", it cited an apology tendered by 'The Statesman' in 2003 after a legal battle over an editorial in 2000.

The RSS had said, "Do Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have respect for truth to give such an apology in writing and guarantee that he or his party will never utter the 'lie' again in future.

PTI