DEHRADUN: A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker in Uttarakhand has filed a defamation case against former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a court here.
The court of Judicial Magistrate II Shiv Singh in Haridwar has fixed April 12 as the next date of hearing considering the defamation suit as a miscellaneous case.
Kamal Bhadauria, a resident of Rudra Vihar in Kankhal, Haridwar prayed in the lawsuit filed, "The RSS has been contributing wholeheartedly to the common people in the disaster and the most difficult circumstances of the country, due to which his feelings are connected to the RSS".
Kamal's lawyer Arun Bhadauria told The New Indian Express, "Rahul Gandhi, in a statement in Kurukshetra Ambala on 9 January 2023, described the RSS as the 'Kaurava' of the 21st century. It was also said that today's 'Kauravas' wear khaki half pants. They take sticks in their hands and put 'Shakhaas'. Two to three richest billionaires also stand with Kauravas".
Advocate Arun Bhadauria further told, "In his speech, Rahul compared the RSS to the Kauravas, while the Kauravas have always committed heinous acts. Rahul also said that our country is not a country of 'priests' but of 'ascetics', while Rahul should know that when he goes to the temple, he worships and performs rituals only through priests".
Reacting to the case, Congress state spokesperson Garima Dassoni said, "The Congress will launch a campaign against hate speech in every district at the state level from April 8, under which it will be identified where BJP MPs and MLAs have made hate speeches."
"As many as 252 MPs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have criminal cases against them. 29 MPs have cases of hate speech registered against them, why only Rahul Gandhi was identified ?". "We are compiling all the statements, speech videos and audios made by BJP leaders, MLAs and MPs related to hate speeches to list the cases for the court", added spokesperson Garima.