Rahul Gandhi Now Faces Defamation Threat From Assam Chief Minister Over 'Adani' Tweet

The Chief Minister of Assam plans to sue Rahul Gandhi for defamation after the Congress leader tweeted a connection between Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Adani group.

Sarma announced at a press conference Sunday (9 April) that the defamation case would be filed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Guwahati visit on 14 April.

"Whatever Rahul Gandhi tweeted, it's defamatory. We will respond after the PM leaves the state," he said.

On Saturday (8 April), Rahul Gandhi criticised leaders who left the Congress party and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while continuing his attack on the government for the Adani matter.

"They hide the truth, that's why they mislead everyday! The question remains the same - whose ₹ 20,000 crore benami money is in Adani's companies?" Gandhi asked in a tweet written in Hindi, while the accompanying image featured the name 'Adani', with each letter shown as part of a leader's name.

Gandhi made references to Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Kiran Kumar Reddy, and Anil K Antony.

Following his departure from the Congress, Azad founded his own political party, while the other named individuals joined the BJP.

Scindia is currently a Union minister, and Sarma holds the position of Chief Minister of Assam.

Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail in a defamation case on 23 March, but was later granted bail by the court.

The case was filed against Gandhi for his remark "How come all thieves have Modi surname?” on a complaint lodged by BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi.

Gandhi made the comment while addressing a rally in Karnataka's Kolar ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.