Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, has been charged with criminal defamation for calling the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) the “21st century Kauravas” at the Bharat Jodo Yatra in January. The case has been filed by an RSS worker in a Haridwar court.
The complaint, according to attorney Arun Bhadoria, was brought on behalf of Kamal Bhadoria, an RSS volunteer. “We have filed the complaint under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On April 12, the court will hear the complaint, he stated.
Haridwar, Uttarakhand | A defamation case has been filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by RSS worker Kamal Bhadauria in Haridwar court. Hearing is on April 12. Rahul Gandhi said in Haryana that RSS is the Kaurava of 21st century: Arun Bhadauria, Advocate pic.twitter.com/nhOjG2lZtm
— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2023
The two sections, which deal with criminal defamation, set a two-year prison sentence as the maximum sentence. According to Arun, the complaint is related to a speech made by Gandhi in Haryana during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
On January 9, Rahul Gandhi said in Ambala, “Who were the Kauravas? I will first tell you about the 21st-century Kauravas. They wear khakhi half-pants, carry lathi in hand and hold shakhas. India’s 2-3 billionaires are standing with the Kauravas.” However, Gandhi didn’t name RSS during his speech.
He had also asked, “Did Pandavas implement demonetisation, wrong GST, farmers bill? No, they didn’t because they were tapasvis, and they knew that demonetisation, wrong GST, farmers bill are methods of stealing”.
“There were five tapasvis on one side, and there was the Sangathan on the other side,” Rahul Gandhi had further said. The Congress leader also alleged that although Narendra Modi implemented “demonetisation, wrong GST,” it was done by some billionaires using him.
Talking about the case, Bhadauria’s lawyer Arun Bhadoria said, “Rahul Gandhi compared the RSS to the Kauravas of the 21st century. It is his indecent speech which reveals his mindset. RSS is such an organization that whenever there has been a calamity in the country, it has come forward to help.” He further informed that the court has registered the case and asked the plaintiff to appear for an advance hearing on April 12.
“A defamation case has been filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by RSS worker Kamal Bhadauria in Haridwar court. The hearing is on April 12. Rahul Gandhi said in Haryana that RSS is the Kaurava of 21st century,” he lawyer said.
Reports however mention that Gandhi has not yet responded to the notice that was sent on January 11.
Earlier, Gandhi was found guilty of criminal defamation on March 23 and given a two-year jail term for saving that everyone with the Modi surname is thief, following which he lost his right to serve as a member of Parliament. Gandhi served as the Lok Sabha representative for the Kerala district of Wayanad.
