Savarkar chapter closed, says Jairam Ramesh

Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray-led faction said Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi’s attacks on the Hindutva ideologue may impact their alliance

Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the “Savarkar chapter is closed” days after Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray-led faction said Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi’s attacks on the Hindutva ideologue during the Maharashtra leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra may impact their alliance in the state.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Kamal Nath during the party's Bharat Jodo Yatra. (PTI)

He attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for spreading falsehoods about Congress leaders. He added the day the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), its ideological fountainhead, stop spreading falsehoods about their leaders, they will stop telling the truths about theirs

Ramesh made the comments at a press conference as the yatra entered BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. On Sunday, Ramesh made similar comments about the row over Gandhi’s comments on Savarkar

Gandhi reiterated his criticism of Savarkar over the mercy petitions to the British for his release from prison. Ramesh later spoke to Sanjay Raut, a leader of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, to clear the air over the issue.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, who addressed the press conference along with Ramesh, lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign in Gujarat. “Modi says he built Gujarat. Is not this a reflection of his ego? I salute this storyteller who says he built Gujarat. But if he thinks that he is the only devout Hindu, then I would criticise him.”

He said Sanatan Dharm considers the world as its family. “...that is why we must turn hatred into love and communal harmony.” He said they were not asking for votes through the yatra. “This yatra is for bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. This yatra is being held to end hatred being spread between religious communities.”