Congress vice-president on Thursday told the Supreme Court that he is ready to face trail in defamation case against him by the RSS member.

Rahul Gandhi has been slapped with the defamation case for blaming Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, in a pre election speech in 2014.

The RSS had made clear that the case against him could be withdrawn if he now states publicly that he does not blame RSS an institution for the death of Mahatma. Mr. Gandhi, who refused to do the same, had withdrew a request to dismiss the case and said, “I stand by what I said”. The Supreme Court also rejected his request to be exempted from appearing in person in the lower court handling the case.

Rahul Gandhi was initially told by the Supreme Court that either he should apologize for his comments or be ready to face the trail.

Mr. Gandhi earlier said to the Supreme Court through his counsel Kapil Sibal that he did not blame RSS in whole but ‘people associated with it’ for the shooting of Gandhiji and that his comments have misinterpreted by the RSS activist from Maharashtra who has filed the case against him.

The leaders of BJP and RSS has said that it is a historical mistake by the Congress vice-president and he must apologize for the same. To which Rahul Gandhi had answered, “I will never stop fighting hateful and the divisive agenda of RSS. I stand by every single word I said.”

According to the historical facts, the killers of Mahatma Gandhi were indeed the Swayamsevaks of the RSS and Nathuram Godse’s brother Gopal Godse has admitted it in his book, Gandhihatya Ani Mi. However, it is also clear, while planning the assassination as well as while implementing it, Nathuram Godse was a member of Hindu Mahasabha and he had left RSS.

By Prajakt K.