Janjivan Bureau / Mumbai : A day after resigning as president of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday told reporters in Mumbai that he would continue the fight against the saffron ideology.
“It’s a battle of ideology. I stand with the poor and the farmers. The attacks are on. I am enjoying the fight,” Gandhi told reporters outside the magistrate’s court in Mazgaon where he is accused of defamation by an RSS activist.
Gandhi, who arrived in Mumbai early on Thursday, went to the court directly accompanied by party leaders Mallkarjun Kharge and Milind Deora where the defamation suit was being heard. Gandhi pleaded not guilty to the charges of defamation.
Dhrutiman Joshi, an RSS activist, had filed the defamation suit against Gandhi and CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechuri for stating that the BJP-RSS ideology was behind the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh. Yechuri also appeared before the court.
Rahul was then given bail on a surety of Rs 15,000. Former Congress MP Eknath Gaikwad stood surety for the Congress leader.
Justifying his decision to quit as Congress president, Gandhi said he was now free to continue the battle of the ideologies. “I will fight 10 times harder than in the last five years. To defeat our opponents we have to sacrifice the desire for power and fight a deeper ideological battle,” Gandhi said.
Congress leaders in Mumbai said defamation suits had been filed against Gandhi in different parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat and he intended to appear in all the courts.
Earlier in the day, around 300 Congress party workers, including a large number of women, braving heavy rain gathered outside the arrivals hall of the Mumbai airport to welcome Rahul. Party leaders from Mumbai, including Sanjay Nirupam and Kripashankar Singh, were among those who were present to receive him.
The assembled Congress workers raised slogans demanding that he continue to lead the party. “Rahul Gandhi, tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain,” screamed the party workers.
