Uproar in the assembly over Bhide’s remarks and threats

Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis retorted that action would be taken not only against Bhide but also against Congress mouthpiece ‘Shidori’ for objectionable writings against Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar

MUMBAI: Both houses of the state legislature on Wednesday witnessed an uproar over right-wing leader Sambhaji Bhide’s controversial remarks on Mahatma Gandhi. While the opposition demanded Bhide’s arrest, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis retorted that action would be taken not only against Bhide but also against Congress mouthpiece ‘Shidori’ for objectionable writings against Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. This led to further tumult in the lower house.

Mumbai, India - Aug. 2, 2023: Opposition party members of both house staged a protest on stairs, during the monsoon session at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

After last week, Congress leaders once again raised the issue of Bhide’s defamatory remarks and also stated that three MLAs, who had demanded action against the Hindutva leader, had received death threats. Fadnavis responded by saying that action would be taken against him. “Sambhaji Bhide Guruji is working for the cause of Hindutva,” he said. “He is trying to connect the bahujan (backward classes) with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is noble work but he has no authority to make such a statement against an idol of the country.”

Fadnavis then declared that no one had the right to insult any idols of the country. “Objectionable articles have been written against Veer Savarkar in the Congress mouthpiece ‘Shidori’, which state that Veer Savarkar was a ‘maafiveer’ (apologist); he was gay and did not participate in the freedom struggle. Hence similar action will be taken against ‘Shidori’,” the deputy chief minister announced.

This led to general pandemonium, as Congress legislators rushed to the well of the house in protest while ruling party legislators too protested against the Congress for insulting Savarkar. Later, Congress legislators staged a walkout from the lower house to register their dissent.

Bhide, who leads the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, had allegedly said at a public function in Amravati, “Mahatma Gandhi’s name is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, but Karamchand Gandhi was not his father. A Muslim landlord was the real father of Mahatma Gandhi. There is evidence to support the fact that Mohandas was raised and educated by Muslim parents.”

While these words raised a furore, Fadnavis told the assembly that what Bhide and his associates had said during the event came from two books written by K S Narayancharya and A Ghosh. One of the books, he claimed, was called ‘The Quran and the Fakir’ and both the authors “leaned towards Congress ideology”.

Fadnavis said that following a complaint, the Rajapeth police had booked Bhide and two of his associates under Sections 153 A, 500, 505 (2) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He said that since there was no video available and the video clips that had gone viral were from different places, a voice sample of Bhide would be taken to check if it matched with the clips.

Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that Bhide was a fraud who did not have any degree but claimed he was once a professor at Fergusson College in Pune. “All this needs to be probed,” he said. In the upper house, Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said that the Hindutva leader was a mischief-monger, and demanded a debate through an adjournment motion. He said that the present situation created by Bhide’s utterances had caused many riot-like situations in the state.

A FIR was registered in Amravati police station against Bhide, and a notice under Section 41 (A) of Cr PC sent to him, which he has accepted.