New Delhi: The Gujarat Congress will stage a show of strength in support of Rahul Gandhi, who will appear before a trial court in Surat on March 23, where the party is expecting an order in a 2019 defamation case.
Rahul had mentioned the names of fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi along with that of PM Modi wondering “how was it possible that all the thieves had a common surname Modi” in a speech made during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign in Karnataka’s Kolar district.
The defamation case was then filed by former Surat MLA and ex-minister Purnesh Modi taking objection to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks. According to the BJP leader, Rahul had defamed the entire Modh or Modi community through his remarks.
“Our leader is fighting the BJP nationally. He is being targeted for opposing the Centre. I have urged all the leaders and workers to reach Surat on March 23 in support of Rahul Gandhi,” Gujarat Congress chief Jagdish Thakor told ETV Bharat.
Former CLP leader Paresh Dhanani said the Congress had faith in the judiciary and expressed the hope that truth will prevail in the defamation case. “We have full faith in the judiciary. We hope that truth will prevail in this case. All our senior leaders from across the state will reach Surat on Thursday. We are not staging a show of strength on March 23. Earlier also, our senior leaders reached the place to express solidarity with our leader,” said Dhanani.
Also Read: Demand for JPC probe into Adani issue non-negotiable: Jairam Ramesh
According to Dhanani, Rahul’s lawyers had argued before the court that the surname Modi was not linked to the community. “The fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi were allowed to leave the country by the Modi government. Anybody who looted the country is a thief to us. As per evidence, there is no caste called Modi. They have not been able to claim that there is a caste called Modi,” he said. Dhanani said the Surat defamation case showcased the BJP’s mentality of harassing the opposition leaders through false court cases.
Since 2019, the case has been heard in the court of the Surat chief judicial magistrate and is up for an order on March 23. So far, Rahul has appeared before the court three times. The last time he appeared in the case was in October 2021. After that, the court granted him permission which did not require the former Congress chief to be present in person.
During his submissions before the local court, Rahul had pleaded not guilty. His lawyers had argued that Rahul had commented upon the three persons Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi and not on the entire Modh or Modi community.
Rahul’s lawyers had argued that no political leader could have made such remarks against the 12-crore-strong Modh or Modi community. Another argument was that the complaint should have come from PM Modi and not Purnesh Modi.
The lawyers of BJP MLA Purnesh Modi had submitted CDs of Rahul’s speech before the court as evidence. The court concluded hearing arguments from both sides last Friday.
