Rahul Gandhi faces another defamation case for calling RSS ‘21st century Kauravas’

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Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader, is currently dealing with a new defamation suit, just days after a Gujarat court sentenced him to two years in prison. On Friday, a complaint was brought to a Haridwar court regarding comments made by the former MP while participating in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In a speech in January, Gandhi referred to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) as the "21st century Kauravas."

Gandhi is facing a third defamation prosecution in Thane, Maharashtra, following a 2014 speech in which he allegedly blamed the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Recently, the complainant in the case—which was brought by an RSS activist—opposed Gandhi's request for a permanent exemption from appearing in court. 

What is the defamation case over the ‘21st-century Kauravas' remark against RSS?

He has been charged with criminal defamation for calling the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) the "21st century Kauravas" during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in January. The complaint, according to attorney Arun Bhadoria, was brought on behalf of Kamal Bhadoria, an RSS volunteer. On April 12, the court will hear the complaint, he continued.

“We have filed the complaint under sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)", he added. The two sections, which deal with criminal defamation, set a two-year jail sentence as the maximum sentence.

What did Rahul Gandhi say in the statement?

Rahul Gandhi compared RSS with 21st-century Kauravas and said, "Who were the Kauravas? I will first tell you about the 21st century Kauravas, they wear khakhi half-pants, they carry lathi in hand and hold shakhas.... India's 2-3 billionaires are standing with the Kauravas," Rahul Gandhi alleged, referring to the RSS.

"Did the Pandavas do demonetisation, implement wrong GST? Would they have ever done so? Never. Why? Because they were tapasvis and they knew that demonetisation, wrong GST, farm laws are a way to steal from tapasvis of this land.... (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi did sign on these decisions, but the power of India's 2-3 billionaires were behind it, whether you agree or not." he further said. 

A recent court ruling in Surat, Gujarat, sentenced Rahul Gandhi to two years in prison for making a contentious comment regarding Narendra Modi's surname. The following day, Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary seat was revoked after he was found ineligible to serve in the Lok Sabha.