Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday told the Supreme Court that he is ready to be put on trial for defaming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and added that he stood by what he said about the RSS being responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. The bench, led by Justice Dipak Misra, asked Gandhi to appear in person in the lower court that is handling the case.

Gandhi's comment is a departure from his earlier standpoint when he told the Supreme Court that he did not blame the RSS but "people associated with it" for the assassination.

According to NDTV, Kapil Sibal, who represented Gandhi in court, said the Congress vice president conveyed that he stood by what he said two years ago. In a pre-election speech in Maharashtra in 2014, Gandhi had blamed the RSS for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

The RSS had offered to withdraw the case if Gandhi publicly declared that he was wrong in blaming the outfit. However, Gandhi refused to do so. The Bharatiya Janata Party said Gandhi's comment "exposes" him and "his double U turn in the matter". Bhartiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra told Times Now that Gandhi seems to be an "inconsistent" leader.