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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bala Darade vowed to blacken Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s face for his past ‘derogatory’ remarks about Hindu idealogue V D Savarkar.
Congress leader and LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. (PTI file photo)
A massive row broke out after within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra after Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bala Darade vowed to blacken Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s face for his past ‘derogatory’ remarks about Hindu idealogue and freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
While addressing an event to commemorate the birth anniversary of Savarkar, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s leader from Nashik said that the Shiv Sainiks would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar and if Rahul Gandhi dared to come to Nashik, they would blacken his face or pelt stones at him.
“We live in Savarkar’s land (Nashik). If Rahul Gandhi dares to come to Nashik, we will blacken his face. If not that, we will pelt stones. Even if we are part of the MVA, we will not think about it and show what Sainiks are,” Darade said as quoted by Indian Express.
Congress Objects To Darade’s Remarks
The grand old party strongly objected to Darade’s remarks against the Leader of Opposition with Maharashtra state unit chief Harshwardhan Sapkal terming the comments “deeply unfortunate.”
“Rahul Gandhi’s father, Rajiv Gandhi, and grandmother, Indira Gandhi, sacrificed their lives for India’s unity. Congress and its leadership are not afraid of such threats,” Sapkal said.
He further asserted that Gandhi’s views on Savarkar were grounded in “publicly available historical records”.
“His comments contain historical references. Even (journalist and writer) Arun Shourie, a minister in the Vajpayee government, has written a book on Savarkar, and most references in that book are what Rahul Gandhi has said. Our workers are capable of tackling such threats,” he added as quoted by media reports.
Former state minister Yashomati Thakur termed Darade’s statement “irresponsible and inflammatory,” and issued a warning. “Let them try touching Rahul Gandhi. We will give a befitting reply,” she said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Distances Itself
Meanwhile, Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare distanced the party from the statement and said that Darade’s views were his own and not the official stand of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
What Rahul Gandhi Had Said?
Rahul Gandhi has time and again accused Savarkar of bowing down to the British, calling him a “maafiveer”. His remarks have drawn massive backlash from the BJP, Shiv Sena, and other Maharashtra parties in the past.
Earlier, particularly during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi had accused Savarkar of betraying the freedom movement by submitting mercy petitions to the British
Last month, the Supreme Court had warned the Congress leader against passing defamatory statements about freedom fighters and said that he cannot make remarks “without knowing the history”.
The top court further said that it would take suo motu cognisance of the matter if Rahul Gandhi repeats such statements.
- Location :
Nashik, India, India
- First Published:
