'Fight Will Be 10X Stronger' Vows Rahul Gandhi After Mumbai Court Grants Him Bail

The complainant, Dhrutiman Joshi had also filed similar complaints against senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, which were later dismissed.

Rahul Gandhi arrives at a Mumbai court to appear before it in connection with a defamation case filed against him in 2017 for allegedly linking journalist Gauri Lankesh's murder with "BJP-RSS ideology". (ANI)

Mumbai: Rahul Gandhi pleaded not guilty in a local court in a defamation case filed against him for allegedly linking RSS-BJP to the murder of Bengaluru journalist Gauri Lankesh in 2017. The metropolitan court in Sewri granted bail to Gandhi on a surety amount of Rs 15,000 with former Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad standing as a guarantor.  The complainant Dhrutiman Joshi, an RSS activist, had also filed similar complaints against senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and CPM leader Sitaram Yechury, which were later dismissed. Several Congress supporters were seen standing outside as Gandhi's convoy reached the Metropolitan court at around 10:30 am. The supporters also expressed resentment towards Gandhi's resignation from the post of party president.

I said what I had to yesterday (on resignation as Cong Prez). My fight will continue and will be 10 times stronger that what it was in the last 5 years: Rahul Gandhi after coming out of #Mumbai court https://t.co/DklVA2CsOX pic.twitter.com/R4m8ea0Y6A

— ABP News (@abpnewstv) July 4, 2019

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Gandhi said, "I said what I had to yesterday. My fight will continue and will be 10 times stronger that what it was in the last 5 years." Gandhi on Wednesday publicly announced his resignation as its president, taking responsibility for the defeat in Lok Sabha polls, and called for "hard decisions" to rebuild the party and making people accountable for the "failure".  In a four-page open letter, Gandhi also urged the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to entrust a group of people with the task of finding a new president as it would not be proper for him to do so.

#WATCH Congress supporters gather outside Mumbai court where Rahul Gandhi has arrived in connection with a defamation case filed against him in 2017 for allegedly linking Gauri Lankesh's murder with "BJP-RSS ideology". He was accompanied by Mallikarjun Kharge & Milind Deora. pic.twitter.com/FtF5doIcgD

— ANI (@ANI) July 4, 2019

In his plea, Joshi had said that barely 24 hours after the Lankesh killing, Rahul Gandhi had allegedly blamed the RSS and its ideology for the murder. This is the second petition filed by a RSS activist in Maharashtra against Rahul Gandhi. Way back in 2014, a local functionary, Rajesh Kunte had filed a plea against him for allegedly blaming the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, which is pending in a Bhiwandi Court in Thane. A large number of Congress activists led by Deora, former city chief Milind Deora and other leaders had gathered at Mumbai Airport to welcome Gandhi.