A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on Wednesday sought the response of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his remark that the Congress was fighting not just the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh but also the Indian state, reported PTI.

Gandhi, at an event to inaugurate the Congress’ new headquarters in Delhi on January 15, had said that his party was not engaged in a fair fight with the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS.

“If you believe we are fighting against a political organisation called BJP and RSS, they have captured almost every institution in our country,’ he said. “We are now fighting not just the BJP and RSS, but the Indian State itself.”

On Wednesday, the court of Additional District Judge Aarti Faujdar issued a notice to Gandhi on the basis of a complaint lodged by Simran Gupta, the president of a Hindutva organisation called the Hindu Shakti Dal.

“Rahul Gandhi’s statement deeply hurt the sentiments of people across the country,” Gupta claimed. “I had earlier approached the district magistrate and the superintendent of police in Sambhal, but no action was taken. As a result, I filed a case on January 23.”

The court had initially summoned the Congress leader to appear before it on April 4, later postponing the date to May 7. However, due to the absence of his counsel on Wednesday, a junior lawyer requested a further extension. The case was listed for hearing on June 16.

Gandhi’s remarks had elicited sharp reactions from BJP leaders.

“Hidden no more, Congress’ ugly truth now stands exposed by their own leader,” BJP chief JP Nadda had remarked. “It is not a secret that Mr Gandhi and his ecosystem have close links with Urban Naxals and the Deep State who want to defame, demean and discredit India.”

BJP social media cell chief Amit Malviya claimed that Gandhi had “declared an open war against the Indian State itself”.

The Assam Police had also booked Gandhi on charges of endangering the country’s sovereignty and integrity and making assertions prejudicial to national integration. Both these are cognisable and non-bailable offences.