Rahul Gandhi to appear in court, meet Congress workers in Maharashtra on June 12

Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to appear before a court in adjoining Thane district on Tuesday in connection with a defamation case filed against him by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker.

Gandhi will appear before the court in Bhiwandi at 11 am, a Congress leader said. The court had on May 2 asked Gandhi to appear before it on June 12 to record his plea in the defamation case filed by Rajesh Kunte in 2014.

Kunte had filed the case after watching Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had claimed that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.

"The RSS people had killed (Mahatma) Gandhi," the Congress president had allegedly said in the rally. During his two-day visit to Maharashtra, Gandhi is also expected to address party workers and interact with its corporators in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation tomorrow.

On June 13, Gandhi is also scheduled to meet the kin of Dadaji Khobragade, the rural inventor who revolutionised rice farming, at Chandrapur in Vidarbha, before returning to Delhi. Khobragade, 78, died earlier this month after a prolonged illness. Contrary to media reports, Gandhi's itinerary doesn't mention any meeting with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, the leader said.

"Top leaders (of both the parties) can meet any time. But no such meeting is on the agenda tomorrow," he added.

"Rahulji will appear before the court in the morning, address party workers in the afternoon and interact with Congress corporators about Mumbai's civic issues," the leader said.

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