Rahul Gandhi ready to face trial

A week after Rahul Gandhi did an embarrassing volte-face on his reported 2014 statement blaming the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress vice-president took another U-turn on Thursday, this time a politically calibrated one.

After telling the Supreme Court on August 24 that he never meant to accuse the RSS as an institution for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, but only persons associated with it, on Thursday Mr Gandhi withdrew his plea from the Supreme Court for quashing of criminal defamation charges against him, saying he stood by what he had said at his 2014 election rally, and that he was ready to face trial for his alleged defamatory remarks.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing Mr Gandhi, told the bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Rohinton F. Nariman: “I (Rahul Gandhi) have always said I stand by what I said and will repeat it. I will withdraw this appeal and I am ready to face trial. I only said what Gopal Godse (Nathuram Godse’s brother) said about the RSS. The court may record my statement that I will face trial and grant exemption from personal appearance in the trial court.”

Mr Gandhi will have to appear before the magistrate in Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, on November 16 as the bench rejected his plea to grant him liberty not to appear in person and let his counsel represent him.

In 2014, addressing a rally in Bhiwandi, Mr Gandhi said members of the RSS had assassinated Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948. He reportedly said: “RSS people killed Gandhiji. They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji.”

RSS worker Rajesh Kunte had filed a defamation case against Mr Gandhi. With the Uttar Pradesh elections approaching and the Congress nowhere in the race, the Congress scion’s second U-turn is seen as an attempt to emerge as the unifying force of anti-Sangh Parivar secular parties. The move seems calculated to project Mr Gandhi as a leader taking an “ideological stand” against a “communal outfit”.

While the BJP and RSS, predictably, took the opportunity to take another dig at Mr Gandhi, saying: “Mr Gandhi’s actions reflect a state of confusion,” the Congress’ spin doctors feel that by taking a stand against the RSS, and standing by his remarks, Mr Gandhi has now directly locked horns with the RSS. “And if he’s sent to prison, he will go up in stature. He will be the leader who openly defied the Sangh Parivar and went to jail defending secularism,” a Congress leader said.

On Thursday, the two-judge bench said in its brief order: “Mr Sibal sought leave of this court to withdraw the special leave petition. The special leave petition is dismissed as withdrawn. Needless to say, if any observation has been made by the high court while disposing of the writ petition, the same shall be confined to be stated for the purpose of disposal of the writ petition and the trial magistrate shall proceed in accordance with law without being influenced by any of the observations made by the high court.”

Last week, the Supreme Court had asked the complainant if he was satisfied with Mr Gandhi’s assertion that he had never blamed the RSS as an institution for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, but only those associated with it.

The bench also observed that “what we understand from the statement, the accused (Mr Gandhi) never blamed the RSS as an institution that assassinated Mahatma Gandhi, but persons associated with it”. The court said this after reading from a December 15, 2014, affidavit submitted by Mr Gandhi in the Bombay high court in the same case.

On Thursday, senior counsel U.R. Lalit, appearing for the RSS, made it clear that Mr Gandhi should make a fresh statement that he did not want to involve the RSS as a whole and that he will not repeat the statement accusing the RSS.

Mr Lalit said: “Rahul’s target was RSS and not Nathuram Godse (who killed Gandhiji). Nobody is interested in Godse, the relevance (in Rahul Gandhi’s speeches) has always been the RSS.”

Senior counsel M.N. Krishnamani, also appearing for the complainant, reiterated that Mr Gandhi must give a written statement that he acknowledged the RSS had no role to play in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

But Mr Gandhi, it seems, is now itching for a fight in the hope that it catches the attention of Uttar Pradesh voters, specially minority and dalit voters, who are still divided between the BSP and the SP.