Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for dragging the name of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during a press conference, terming it a “wrong statement”. Raut said “Savarkar is our inspiration” and that he will try to speak to Rahul Gandhi on the issue. (Also Read | BJP mocks Priyanka's ‘Rahul studied at Harvard’ remark, Cong says ‘pity their…')
When Rahul Gandhi was asked about his opinion on the suggestions that he could have escaped conviction and two-year jail sentence in criminal defamation case, and the subsequent disqualification from Lok Sabha, by apologising for his remarks, the Congress leader said his name was not Savarkar but Gandhi, adding that Gandhis don't apologise.
“My name in not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi. Gandhis don't apologise to anyone,” the ex-Wayanad MP replied, triggering strong reaction from BJP and Shiv Sena.
Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray also warned Gandhi that demeaning Savarkar would create "cracks" in the opposition alliance.
"Savarkar suffered unimaginable torture in the Andaman cellular jail for 14 years. We can only read the sufferings. It is a form of sacrifice. We will not tolerate the insult of Savarkar," Uddhav said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut echoed his party chief and said, "It is a wrong statement. He's definitely a Gandhi but no need to drag Savarkar. Savarkar is our inspiration. The inspiration behind our fight in Maharashtra is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar."
{{/usCountry}}Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut echoed his party chief and said, "It is a wrong statement. He's definitely a Gandhi but no need to drag Savarkar. Savarkar is our inspiration. The inspiration behind our fight in Maharashtra is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar."
{{/usCountry}}"I will definitely try to speak to him," he said when asked if he will speak face-to-face with Rahul Gandhi in Delhi over this issue.
Rahul Gandhi has been frequently attacking BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh by targeting VD Savarkar, their ideologue. In November last year, Gandhi, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, said that Savarkar would write mercy petitions to be freed from the Andaman cellular jail and also accepted a pension from the British. He also claimed that Savarkar had helped the British government during the freedom struggle, triggering protests from BJP and Shiv Sena workers.