Congress 'benefited' from Mahatma Gandhi's death: Uma Bharti

NEW DELHI: Union minister Uma Bharti on Thursday claimed that the Congress "benefited" from Mahatma Gandhi's assassination+ .

"Who benefited from Mahatma Gandhi's death? It was the Congress. The Mahatma wanted to disperse the Congress. He had already made an announcement to this effect," the minister claimed.



Bharti was responding to a question on the Supreme Court's hearing of a plea that seeks to reopen the investigation+ into the assassination.

The BJP leader alleged that the RSS and Bhartiya Jan Sangh had actually suffered because of the assassination.

"We went to jail. We are still suffering. The country suffered," Bharti said.

The Mahatma was shot dead at point blank range in New Delhi on January 30, 1948 by Nathuram Godse.

The plea before the apex court, filed by Pankaj Phadnis, questions the belief that three bullets were fired at the Mahatma. Phadnis insists four shots were fired and it is the fourth bullet that took his life.

(With inputs from agencies)