Sambhal court seeks Rahul Gandhi’s response on remarks about capture of institutions by BJP, RSS

A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on Wednesday sought the response of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his remark that the Congress was fighting not just the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh but also the Indian state, reported PTI.

Gandhi, at an event to inaugurate the Congress’ new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, had said that his party was not engaged in a fair fight with the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS.

“If you believe we are fighting against a political organisation called BJP and RSS, they have captured almost every institution in our country,’ he said. “We are now fighting not just the BJP and RSS, but the Indian State itself.”

On Wednesday, the court of Additional District Judge Aarti Faujdar issued a notice to Gandhi on the basis of a complaint lodged by Simran Gupta, the president of a Hindutva organisation called the Hindu Shakti Dal.

“Rahul Gandhi’s statement deeply hurt the sentiments of people across the country,” Gupta claimed. “I had earlier approached the district magistrate and the superintendent of police in Sambhal, but no action was taken. As a result, I filed a case on January 23.”

The court had initially summoned the Congress leader to appear before it on April 4, later postponing the...

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