Claim Vs Reality: Rahul Gandhi's History Of 'Saying Sorry'

Rahul Gandhi has been asserting that as a Gandhi, he never apologises, in contrast to Savarkar.

However, this claim is contradicted by multiple instances from his past where he had to apologise, or qualify a statement that he had given.

In past cases, the courts have reprimanded Gandhi for making defamatory remarks or violating public decency standards expected from a parliamentarian.

Gandhi has been forced to retract his statements and provide written apologies in previous cases, such as when he falsely accused RSS of killing Mahatma Gandhi in 2014 or when he misrepresented the Supreme Court's decision on the Rafale deal in 2019.

Comments on RSS

In 2014, during an election rally, he claimed that the RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi. An RSS worker, Rajesh Kunte, filed a case against him for defaming the organisation.

Initially, Gandhi refused to retract his statement, asserting he would provide evidence to support his claim. 

However, he changed his stance after the Supreme Court criticised him for collective denunciations and required him to face trial.

Subsequently, Gandhi "clarified" that he did not blame the RSS for Mahatma Gandhi's assassination but rather people "associated" with it. His flimsy rebuttal was far from the truth.

In 2016, at an election rally, Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of doing “khoon ki dalali”. "Hamare jawaan hain jinhone khoon diya hai, jinhone surgical strike kiya, unke khoon ke peechhe aap (PM) chhupe hue ho. (You are hiding behind the soldiers, who gave their blood and who carried out the surgical strikes)”, he said. 

His comments were widely condemned, prompting him to clarify on Twitter that he supported the surgical strikes but not using the Army for political propaganda.

Gandhi's controversial remarks about the surgical strikes evoked strong reactions from the public and other opposition parties. 

The incident also reminded people of his mother and former Congress President's infamous "maut ka saudagar" jibe against then Gujarat CM, Modi.

Rafale

In 2019, Rahul Gandhi based his entire campaign on the Rafale deal, coining the slogan "Chowkidar Chor Hai." During a media interaction, he alleged that the Supreme Court had confirmed the "Chowkidar" was involved in theft and had accepted corruption in the Rafale issue.

The Court, on a petition filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi sent Gandhi a criminal contempt notice for misrepresenting it and attributing “chowkidar chor hai” to the Court’s decision. 

What followed was Rahul Gandhi presenting an unconditional apology and acceptance of making the claim “in the heat of the political campaigning”. 

So, when Rahul says he being a Gandhi will never apologise, he needs to be reminded of these instances and provided a reality check.