New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reached a magistrate’s court in Surat, Gujarat, to record his statement in a criminal defamation case filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA. The defamation suit has been filed by Rahul Gandhi against his remarks about ‘Modi caste name’. Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate A.N. Dave had directed Rahul Gandhi to record his last statement in the case filed by Surat BJP MLA Purnesh Modi a week ago.
In his complaint in April 2019, Purnesh Modi accused the Congress MP of “humiliating the entire Modi fraternity” when he made a remark at a rally held ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
At an election rally held in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, Rahul Gandhi had allegedly said – “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… Why is this, everyone’s caste name is Modi… All thieves’ caste name is Modi. Why do…”
Rahul Gandhi was the national president of the Congress at that time, and he resigned in May 2019 after the party’s defeat in the election results. Rahul had declared himself ‘innocent’ by appearing in the court in October 2019.
