New Delhi, July 4: A day after publicly announcing his resignation as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he will intensify his fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Talking to reporters outside a Mumbai local court where he arrived to appear in connection with a defamation case filed by an RSS worker, Rahul Gandhi that he is "enjoying the attack".

"I am with the poor, farmers and labourers. This fight (against BJP and RSS) will continue. I will continue the fight with 10 times more vigour than I did during the last five years," Gandhi told reporters. "Aakraman ho raha hai, maza aa raha hai (They are attacking me and I am enjoying it)," he added. He did not elaborate, saying he had said “whatever he had to say” in his four-page letter that he shared yesterday. Rahul Gandhi Makes Veiled Attack on Congress Leaders, Says 'At Times, I Stood Alone'.

At the hearing, the Congress MP from Wayanad pleaded "not guilty" to the charges and was granted bail on a surety of Rs 15,000. The court has posted the matter for hearing on September 21. RSS worker Dhrutiman Joshi had filed a defamation petition against Rahul Gandhi and Sitaram Yechury seeking damages of Re 1 for their allegation that RSS was behind Lankesh’s murder. Gandhi pleaded not guilty in the court. Rahul Gandhi Reveals Who Will Decide on Next Congress Chief.

Earlier, a Bhiwandi-based RSS official Rajesh Kunte had sued him in 2014 for saying that RSS was behind the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi announced on May 25, two days after the Lok Sabha election results became known, that he would resign as the Congress chief after the party was drubbed. Gandhi was himself defeated in Amethi in Uttar Pradesh but won from Wayanad in Kerala.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 04, 2019 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).