NEW
DELHI (Reuters) - Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul made a rare court
appearance on Saturday and won bail in a case of alleged graft they say
Prime Minister Narendra Modi uses in a vendetta against their family.
Hundreds
of members of the Congress party were massed outside the court premises
in Delhi in a show of support for the torchbearers of the Nehru-Gandhi
dynasty that has ruled India for most of its post-independence era after
1947.
In
the case, a prominent member of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has
alleged the Gandhis misused party funds to illegally acquire real
estate assets worth millions of dollars.
The Gandhis deny any wrongdoing and on Saturday said they would not be deterred by attempts to frame them.
"I
appeared in court with a clear conscience as every law abiding citizen
should do," Sonia told reporters after the court hearing, where she was
flanked by several senior party leaders, including former Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh.
"The current government is intentionally targeting its opponents by using government agencies."
The
legal battle has sown further bitterness between the Congress and Modi,
who had vowed a "Congress-free India" even before he crushed the
Gandhis in an election last year.
The
war of words between the arch rivals has also stalled parliament
proceedings and dimmed hopes of any compromise on a long-delayed tax
reform.
Modi's
top aides have denied any involvement in the case. After the hearing, a
senior Congress leader said its lawmakers will continue to disrupt the
parliament session that runs until next week.
SECURITY, SUPPORT
Party
sources had told Reuters the Gandhis would use the court appearance to
their advantage by energising their supporters and turn the public mood
against Modi.
On
Saturday, hundreds of supporters descended to the streets of Mumbai and
Delhi in support of the mother-son duo as they walked into the
courthouse guarded by 3,000 policemen.
During
the brief 10-minute hearing, Sonia and Rahul appeared relaxed and chose
to stand in the small, dilapidated courtroom with stained walls,
according to a lawyer present inside.
BJP
leader Subramanian Swamy has alleged the Gandhis formed a shell company
and illegally gained control of properties worth $300 million, which
belonged to a firm that published a newspaper founded by Rahul's great
grandfather.
On
Saturday, the court declined Swamy's request to impose travel
restrictions on the Gandhis and set the next day of hearing on Feb. 20.
"The battle is on its right track," Swamy told Reuters
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