Gandhi had talked about disbanding the party after Independence, Uma Bharti says.

BJP leader and Union Minister Uma Bharti on Thursday said the Congress “benefited” from the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi as he had talked about disbanding the party after Independence.

Ms. Bharti was responding to a question on the Supreme Court’s recent observations while hearing a plea seeking the reopening of the investigation into the assassination.

“This matter is going on since the time Godse killed Gandhiji. Today I ask the country through you [the media] as to who benefited from the murder of Gandhiji,” she said. While the Sangh and Jan Sangh faced damage and the country suffered losses, “only the Congress benefited from the assassination of Gandhiji”.

“Because Gandhiji had suggested that the Congress be dissolved [after Independence]. In fact, he had announced the Congress shall be disbanded,” the Minister told journalists during the BJP’s Gujarat Gaurav Yatra in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat.

The plea in the Supreme Court, filed by Mumbai-based Pankaj Phadnis, a researcher and a trustee of Abhinav Bharat, has sought the reopening of the probe into the assassination on several grounds, claiming it was one of the biggest cover-ups in history.

Ms. Bharti is one of the Ministers taking part in the ongoing yatra of the BJP that aims to galvanise support for the ruling party ahead of the Assembly elections. During the 'yatra', she addressed public meetings in Deodar, Tharad, Vav and Radhanpur constituencies.