Rahul Gandhi arrived to court in a defamation case

Thane (Maharashtra), June 12 (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrived here on Tuesday morning for a court hearing in a defamation case and for other party engagements in Mumbai.

Hoardings proclaiming Gandhi as the ‘Future Prime Minister' greeted him on the roads outside the Mumbai Airport to Thane as he was accorded a warm welcome by Congress state President Ashok Chavan, Mumbai city chief Sanjay Nirupam, Janardhan Chandurkar, Bhai Jagtap, Raju Waghmare and other senior leaders.

Thereafter, Gandhi proceeded to the Bhiwandi Court in adjoining Thane district which was virtually converted into fortress for the framing of charges in a defamation case against him filed by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker four years ago.

The case was lodged by RSS worker Rajesh Kunte who objected to Gandhi's utterances at an election rally in March 2014 wherein he blamed the RSS for the killing Mahatma Gandhi.

Later this afternoon, Gandhi will go to Mumbai and interact with the party's over 15,000 booth-level workers at a function in Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon.

This will mark the launch of a national endeavour ‘Project Shakti' by which the Congress President will establish direct communication between the grassroots workers and the party's central leadership, said Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam.

In the evening, Gandhi is scheduled to have a meeting with the party's municipal corporators and is also likely to call on Nationalist Congress President Sharad Pawar.