Reuters, New Delhi :
Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul made a rare court appearance on Saturday and won bail in a case of alleged graft they say Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses in a vendetta against their family.
Hundreds of members of the Congress party were massed outside the court premises in Delhi in a show of support for the torchbearers of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled India for most of its post-independence era after 1947.
In the case, a prominent member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged the Gandhis misused party funds to illegally acquire real estate assets worth millions of dollars.
The Gandhis deny any wrongdoing and on Saturday said they would not be deterred by attempts to frame them.
“I appeared in court with a clear conscience as every law abiding citizen should do,” Sonia told reporters after the court hearing, where she was flanked by several senior party leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The current government is intentionally targeting its opponents by using government agencies.”
The legal battle has sown further bitterness between the Congress and Modi, who had vowed a “Congress-free India” even before he crushed the Gandhis in an election last year.
The war of words between the arch rivals has also stalled parliament proceedings and dimmed hopes of any compromise on a long-delayed tax reform.
Modi’s top aides have denied any involvement in the case. After the hearing, a senior Congress leader said its lawmakers will continue to disrupt the parliament session that runs until next week.
Party sources had told Reuters the Gandhis would use the court appearance to their advantage by energising their supporters and turn the public mood against Modi.
On Saturday, hundreds of supporters descended to the streets of Mumbai and Delhi in support of the mother-son duo as they walked into the courthouse guarded by 3,000 policemen.
During the brief 10-minute hearing, Sonia and Rahul appeared relaxed and chose to stand in the small, dilapidated courtroom with stained walls, according to a lawyer present inside. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has alleged the Gandhis formed a shell company and illegally gained control of properties worth $300 million, which belonged to a firm that published a newspaper founded by Rahul’s great grandfather.
On Saturday, the court declined Swamy’s request to impose travel restrictions on the Gandhis and set the next day of hearing on Feb. 20.
Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul made a rare court appearance on Saturday and won bail in a case of alleged graft they say Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses in a vendetta against their family.
Hundreds of members of the Congress party were massed outside the court premises in Delhi in a show of support for the torchbearers of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that has ruled India for most of its post-independence era after 1947.
In the case, a prominent member of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged the Gandhis misused party funds to illegally acquire real estate assets worth millions of dollars.
The Gandhis deny any wrongdoing and on Saturday said they would not be deterred by attempts to frame them.
“I appeared in court with a clear conscience as every law abiding citizen should do,” Sonia told reporters after the court hearing, where she was flanked by several senior party leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The current government is intentionally targeting its opponents by using government agencies.”
The legal battle has sown further bitterness between the Congress and Modi, who had vowed a “Congress-free India” even before he crushed the Gandhis in an election last year.
The war of words between the arch rivals has also stalled parliament proceedings and dimmed hopes of any compromise on a long-delayed tax reform.
Modi’s top aides have denied any involvement in the case. After the hearing, a senior Congress leader said its lawmakers will continue to disrupt the parliament session that runs until next week.
Party sources had told Reuters the Gandhis would use the court appearance to their advantage by energising their supporters and turn the public mood against Modi.
On Saturday, hundreds of supporters descended to the streets of Mumbai and Delhi in support of the mother-son duo as they walked into the courthouse guarded by 3,000 policemen.
During the brief 10-minute hearing, Sonia and Rahul appeared relaxed and chose to stand in the small, dilapidated courtroom with stained walls, according to a lawyer present inside. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has alleged the Gandhis formed a shell company and illegally gained control of properties worth $300 million, which belonged to a firm that published a newspaper founded by Rahul’s great grandfather.
On Saturday, the court declined Swamy’s request to impose travel restrictions on the Gandhis and set the next day of hearing on Feb. 20.
