Youth Congress leader accuses Savarkar of rape advocacy, BJP-Shiv Sena fume

Former Congress minister Vijay Wadettiwar, who is Shivani’s father, said that his daughter had taken the reference from a Marathi book ‘Saha Soneri Pane’ (Six Golden Pages) written by Savarkar himself.

Mumbai: Amid the many controversies dredged up recently about Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, Youth Congress leader Shivani Wadettiwar added another one, declaring that Savarkar had advised rape as a weapon against political opponents. The remarks have whipped up another storm, leading to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis terming her “mindless”.

“They will never organise a morcha to promote the thoughts of (Mahatma) Phule, Shahu (Maharaj) and (Dr Babasaheb) Ambedkar but hold rallies for Savarkar,” Shivani can be seen saying to a gathering in a video clip that she shared on her Twitter handle on Friday. “We women are afraid of Savarkar’s thoughts because he used to believe that rape is a political weapon, and it should be used against one’s political opponents. How would women like us feel safe? And these people are taking out rallies to promote the thoughts of such people.” (HT PHOTO)

Former Congress minister Vijay Wadettiwar, who is Shivani’s father, said that his daughter had taken the reference from a Marathi book ‘Saha Soneri Pane’ (Six Golden Pages) written by Savarkar himself. Shivani also got support from Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, who said the party would ask her to apologise only if the remarks were not from Savarkar’s book.

“They will never organise a morcha to promote the thoughts of (Mahatma) Phule, Shahu (Maharaj) and (Dr Babasaheb) Ambedkar but hold rallies for Savarkar,” Shivani can be seen saying to a gathering in a video clip that she shared on her Twitter handle on Friday. “We women are afraid of Savarkar’s thoughts because he used to believe that rape is a political weapon, and it should be used against one’s political opponents. How would women like us feel safe? And these people are taking out rallies to promote the thoughts of such people.”

Vijay Wadettiwar, a two-term MLA from Chandrapur district, said his daughter was a lawyer and liked to read. He said he had not read the book himself and would ask Shivani to apologise only if it was a mistake. “Savarkar’s book also contains objectionable comments against Chhatrapati Shivaji but the ruling parties are silent on that,” he said.

Patole too pointed out that there was no reason to oppose Shivani’s statement, as it was based on what Savarkar himself had written. “Also,” he added, “if what she said is true, then BJP leaders will have to clarify if they believe in such thoughts.”

The Youth Congress leader’s remarks have upset ally Shiv Sena (UBT). MLA Rajan Salvi said the party would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Veer Savarkar’s contribution to the country does not need to be stated,” he told reporters. “If someone makes such a statement about him, we will not keep quiet. Our party chief Uddhav Thackeray will take a stand on this.”

The recent controversies surrounding Savarkar in Maharashtra started after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi declared last November that Savarkar used to write mercy petitions to get released from the Andaman cellular jail and acquire a pension from the British. Recently, again, he had stated that his surname was not Savarkar and hence he would not apologise (in a criminal case filed against him).

The ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance took up the issue to corner the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition after Uddhav Thackeray expressed displeasure over Gandhi’s remarks on Savarkar. The Shinde-Fadnavis government held the ‘Savarkar Gaurav Yatra’ across Maharashtra between March 30 and April 8 to protest against Gandhi’s remarks.