RSS rules out settlement with Rahul over Gandhi assassination remark

The RSS has ruled out any settlement with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi with regard to the defamation case filed against him for blaming the organisation for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.

Rajesh Kunte, the Maharashtra-based RSS leader who filed a criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, has said that there can be a settlement only if the Congress leader apologises again.

He added that the Congress vice-president has to give it in writing to the Supreme Court that in future he will not blame the RSS of killing Gandhi.

The Supreme Court is waiting for Kunte's response to close the defamation case after Rahul's senior counsel Kapil Sibal  on August 24 submitted that Rahul had never accused the RSS as an organisation.

The matter is due to come up before the apex court on September 1.
The RSS' decision to harden its position came after Rahul tweeted that he stood by every single word said by him and  that he "..will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS."

Kunte said, "there is no question of withdrawing the case. His tweet has made it loud and clear that he continues to hold that RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi."

Rahul took the stand a day after Sibal told the top court that he had never blamed the RSS as an institution for killing Mahatma Gandhi but persons associated with it who were behind the assassination. A YouTube video titled “RSS People Killed Gandhiji: Rahul Gandhi in Bhiwandi” was posted along with his tweet.

In the video, Rahul is heard saying: “RSS people killed Gandhiji. And today their people talk about Gandhiji. Sardar Patel was a Congress leader. He had written clearly about the RSS and about its organisation. And [now] they tell the Congress leaders that he was our leader.”

Rahul's tweet came after media reports said that he had taken a U-turn before the apex court as his counsel had stated that he did not ever blame the RSS for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi but had only said that a "few individuals in the organisation" were responsible for it.

The defamation case was filed accusing Rahul of blaming the RSS for the killing of the Mahatma during his campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.