File photo of Rahul Gandhi in Maharashtra
Rahul Gandhi today attended a court hearing in Maharashtra's Bhiwandi town in a defamation case against him even though the Supreme Court had said he could skip it.
The Congress vice president spent less than 15 minutes in court, but his team did not miss the chance to project it as more than a routine visit.
"I had made a commitment that I would come, we respect the judiciary, that is why I am here. The fight which Gandhi ji fought is our fight. We will fight that and we will win. When I make a commitment I fulfill it," Mr Gandhi told reporters after leaving court.
The Supreme Court yesterday stayed the defamation proceedings. Mr Gandhi has been sued by an activist of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS - the ruling BJP's ideological mentor - for allegedly blaming the organization for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi while campaigning for the national election last year.
Acting on Mr Gandhi's petition, the court also exempted him from attending the hearing in Bhiwandi.
But apparently guided by his newfound political savvy, the 44-year-old decided to show up in court anyway.
The brief visit was given the treatment reserved for a political campaign in tweets from the new twitter handle @OfficeOfRG, which marks the Congress vice president's debut on social media.
Since he returned from a 57-day sabbatical, during which his future was widely debated, Mr Gandhi has proceeded to confound his critics with a politically active schedule that took him on a spiritual trek to the hills, a train ride to Punjab and a march in Maharashtra for farmers.
He has also spoken four times in Parliament, surpassing his record of a decade.