New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday told the Supreme Court that he stood by his remarks that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) men killed Mahatma Gandhi and he was ready to face trial in a defamation case over the controversial comment.

“I stand by what I said,” said Rahul Gandhi to judges through his lawyer, former union minister Kapil Sibal. The Supreme Court has rejected his request to be exempted from appearing in person in the lower court handling the case. Rahul Gandhi has been accused of blaming the RSS in a pre-election speech in 2014 for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.

The RSS had said that the case against him could be withdrawn if he now states publicly that he does not blame the RSS as an institution for the death of the Mahatma Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi told the Supreme Court a few days ago that he did not blame the RSS but “people associated with it” for the shooting of Mahatma Gandhi, and that his comments have been misinterpreted by the RSS activist from Maharashtra who has field the case against him. That assertion was claimed by the BJP and the RSS as evidence of Mr Gandhi’s backtracking on what they describe as a mistake for which the Congress leader must publicly apologise.

In retaliation, Rahul Gandhi said the next day “I will never stop fighting hateful and the divisive agenda of RSS. I stand by every single word I said.”