New Delhi, Nov 17, 2022: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stays firm on his critical remarks about Hindutva figure VD Savarkar over mercy petitions to the British during the freedom struggle.
However, Congress’s partner and ex-Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray today said his party, the Shiv Sena faction he leads, has “immense respect” for Savarkar.
“We don’t agree with what Rahul Gandhi has said. We respect Veer Savarkar. But, at the same time, when you are questioning us, the BJP should also have to say why they were they in power with PDP (in Jammu and Kashmir),” said Uddhav Thackeray.
Both parties have found themselves tangled in controversies ever since Mr Thackeray broke up with the BJP to launch the Maha Vikas Aghadi with Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar’s parties in 2019. “We have allied with the Congress to maintain the freedom we got from the British,” Thackeray told reporters.
On disagreements with allies over Savarkar remarks, Rahul Gandhi said, “If someone wants to put their ideology forward, they should.”
At a function organized in honor of of tribal leader Birsa Munda in Washim, the Congress leader had said, “Despite the British offering him land, [Birsa Munda] refused to bow down; he chose death. We, the Congress party, consider him our idol. For the BJP and RSS, Savarkar ji, who wrote mercy petitions to the British and accepted pension, is an idol.”
Senior leader Digvijaya Singh also agreed with Rahul Gandhi as the former said, “Savarkar was the one who apologised to the British, and sold out the country to the British. I will also say this.”
