Surat: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today morning appeared in a local court in Surat where his statement was recorded in a defamation case filed by BJP leader and MLA Purnesh Modi.

According to a lawyer, Rahul Gandhi’s reply to various questions was same, “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know”.

The court has fixed July 12 as the next date for argument. If meanwhile, the High Court gives interim order, the matter will revive and go to the evidence stage, said a lawyer.

Rahul spokes to Gujarat Congress leaders briefly at Surat airport before leaving for Delhi.

The case

In his complaint, the BJP legislator from Surat-West had alleged the Congress leader had defamed the entire Modi community with his remark, made during the Lok Sabha campaign in 2019.

At a campaign rally at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, Gandhi had said, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how come they all have Modi as common surname? How come all thieves have Modi as common surname?”

In his complaint, Purnesh Modi had said the Congress leader had defamed the entire Modi community with his statement. DeshGujarat