Congress leader Rahul Gandhi appeared before a magistrate’s court in Surat on Thursday to record his statement in a criminal defamation suit filed by a Gujarat MLA, and denied making any defamatory remarks on people with the “Modi” surname.

The suit had been filed by Surat BJP MLA Purnesh Modi over Rahul’s alleged remark on the Modi surname.

In his statement before Surat’s chief judicial magistrate A.N. Dave, Rahul denied making any defamatory remarks on people with the Modi surname during a poll rally in Karnataka in 2019.

When the magistrate asked Rahul if he had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Rs 30 crore to an industrialist, Rahul told the court that being a national leader, he kept raising issues of corruption and unemployment in his addresses in the interest of the nation, and it was his right to do so.

When the court asked if he had said all people with the Modi surname were thieves, Rahul said he had never made such a comment.

To most of the remaining questions related to the evidence and statements of witnesses in the case, Rahul said: “I don’t know”.

After recording the statement, the magistrate said the case would be heard again on July 12.

Earlier, Rahul had appeared before the court in October 2019 and pleaded not guilty for his comment.

Legislator Purnesh Modi had filed a complaint against Rahul in April 2019 under Indian Penal Code Sections 499 and 500 that deal with defamation.

A week ago, CJM Dave had directed Rahul to remain present on June 24 to record his statement.

In his complaint, the MLA had alleged that Rahul had defamed the entire Modi community by saying at a poll rally in 2019: “How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”

During an election rally held at Kolar in Karnataka on April 13, 2019, Rahul had reportedly asked: “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi... how come they all have Modi as the common surname? How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?”

Rahul was the Congress president when he had made this alleged remark.

Purnesh Modi has also moved Gujarat High Court, seeking to call the Kolar district collector and a videographer who had recorded the speech as witnesses.

The high court is expected to hear the matter on Monday.