Taking the RSS head-on, the Congress is all set to play the soft Hindutva card challenging the Sangh for a debate on the "real Hindu" identity, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
As part of the strategy, Rahul Gandhi directed his counsel Kapil Sibal to withdraw the petition challenging the proceedings for defamation initiated by an RSS worker for his speech in Bhiwandi holding "people of RSS" responsible for Mahatma Gandhi's assassination.
"We will fight it out in court. This is a battle on who is a true Hindu. This battle is against a divisive agenda, against identity politics. This battle is against caste-based and religion-based politics," Sibal, a former union minister, told reporters here. He asserted that Rahul will always stand by humanitarian values.
Congress leaders said the defamation case against Rahul was political in nature and required to be contested in a similar fashion.
"I am a Hindu because I believe in a certain way of life but I am not RSS because I do not believe in their ideology," Sibal said.
He pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Tushar, authors Koenard Elst, Shyam Chand and Shams ul Islam have all said that people of RSS killed the Father of the Nation.
"Why did the RSS not file defamation cases against them? These people want to take it forward as a political agenda as the Uttar Pradesh elections are round the corner," Sibal said. The Congress' plan to play the soft Hindutva card also seeks to negate the 'pro-minority' tag it had earned during the 10-year UPA rule. Senior Congress leader A K Antony, who had examined the party's electoral loss in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, said the perception that the party was inclined towards certain communities or organisations cost it dear at the hustings.
Sibal on Thursday said that Rahul would contest the RSS allegations in Bhiwandi court when case comes up for hearing in November.
Taking the RSS head-on, the Congress is all set to play the soft Hindutva card challenging the Sangh for a debate on the "real Hindu” identity, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
As part of the strategy, Rahul Gandhi directed his counsel Kapil Sibal to withdraw the petition challenging the proceedings for defamation initiated by an RSS worker for his speech in Bhiwandi holding "people of RSS” responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.
"We will fight it out in court. This is a battle on who is a true Hindu. This battle is against a divisive agenda, against identity politics. This battle is against caste-based and religion-based politics,” Sibal, a former union minister, told reporters here. He asserted that Rahul will always stand by humanitarian values.
Congress leaders said the defamation case against Rahul was political in nature and required to be contested in a similar fashion.
"I am a Hindu because I believe in a certain way of life but I am not RSS because I do not believe in their ideology,” Sibal said.
He pointed out that Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Tushar, authors Koenard Elst, Shyam Chand and Shams ul Islam have all said that people of RSS killed the Father of the Nation.
"Why did the RSS not file defamation cases against them? These people want to take it forward as a political agenda as the Uttar Pradesh elections are round the corner,” Sibal said. The Congress’ plan to play the soft Hindutva card also seeks to negate the 'pro-minority’ tag it had earned during the 10-year UPA rule. Senior Congress leader A K Antony, who had examined the party’s electoral loss in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, said the perception that the party was inclined towards certain communities or organisations cost it dear at the hustings.
Sibal on Thursday said that Rahul would contest the RSS allegations in Bhiwandi court when case comes up for hearing in November.