Responding to the summons from the District Civil Court in Sultanpur, where Rahul Gandhi was asked to appear in a defamation case, Jairam Ramesh, Congress’s General Secretary in charge of Communications, asserted that the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ would not be derailed, and Rahul Gandhi would not be silenced. He emphasized that the Indian National Congress would not be intimidated.
In a statement, Jairam Ramesh conveyed, “This morning Rahul Gandhi will be at the District Civil Court in Sultanpur that had issued a summons to him 36 hours earlier to appear before it on a defamation case filed by a BJP leader in August 2018. Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will not be derailed. Rahul Gandhi will not be silenced. The Indian National Congress will not be intimidated.”
The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, now on its 38th day, resumed from Fursantganj in Amethi district and proceeded towards Raebareli and Lucknow. Jairam Ramesh explained the schedule for the day, stating, “Today is the 38th day. We have paused the yatra this morning. At 2 pm, we will start again from Fursatganj. There will be a public rally in Raebareli. After that, we will move towards Lucknow.”
Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader, has been summoned by the District Civil Court in Sultanpur on February 20 in connection with a 2018 case involving derogatory remarks made against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a Bengaluru conference. The complaint was filed by the then BJP District Vice President, Vijay Mishra.
Vijay Mishra expressed the reasons for filing the complaint, stating, “I was the vice president of BJP when this incident happened. Rahul Gandhi had accused Amit Shah in Bengaluru that he is a murderer. When I heard these allegations, I felt very pained because I am a 33-year-old worker of the party. I filed a complaint regarding this through my lawyer, and this continued for almost 5 years. Today the decision came in this.”
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the lawyer representing Vijay Mishra, explained the legal implications, mentioning that Rahul Gandhi could face a maximum punishment of 2 years if sufficient evidence is found against him.
The Congress’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,’ followed by the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra,’ is part of the party’s initiative covering 6,700 km through 15 states with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.