Don't insult Savarkar: Shiv Sena warns after Rahul's jibe

Don't insult Savarkar: Shiv Sena warns after Rahul's jibe
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Congress leader Rahul gandhi. Photos: PTI

Mumbai: Reacting sharply to Rahul Gandhi's 'my name is not Rahul Savarkar' barb, Congress ally Shiv Sena on Saturday warned that Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar should not be insulted.

Savarkar is no less than "god" for the whole country and deserves reverence, Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said on Twitter.

"Veer Savarkar is a god ("daivat") of the whole country and not just Maharashtra. The name Savarkar denotes national pride and self-respect. Like Nehru and Gandhi, Savarkar too dedicated his life to the country. Every such god must be revered. There is no compromise on this," Raut tweeted in Marathi.

"We respect Gandhi and Nehru. You should not insult Savarkar. Enough said," he tweeted further.

Addressing the Congress' mega "Bharat Bachao Rally" in Delhi earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi rejected the BJP's demand for apology over his `rape in India' remark.

"The BJP asked me to apologise. My name is not Rahul Savarkar, it is Rahul Gandhi, and I will never apologise for speaking the truth," he said.

The Congress leader was apparently alluding to the allegation against Savarkar, a pre-eminent Hindutva ideologue, that he tendered apology to the British for securing early release from the Cellular Jail in Andaman.

The Sena, which has formed an unlikely alliance with the Congress and the NCP after it fell out with the BJP, had blasted Rahul Gandhi during the Maharashtra Assembly election campaign for his comments against Savarkar.

In the past, the Sena had also virulently targeted Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyer for ordering removal of a plaque dedicated to Savarkar at the Cellular Jail.  

Rahul Jinnah 'more appropriate' name for Rahul Gandhi: BJP

The BJP too hit back at Rahul Gandhi, saying a "more appropriate" name for the Congress leader is "Rahul Jinnah" as his "Muslim appeasement" politics makes him a worthy legatee of the Pakistan's founder.

Targeting Gandhi, BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said, "The more appropriate name for you Rahul Gandhi is Rahul Jinnah. Your Muslim appeasement politics and mindset makes you a worthy legatee of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, not Savarkar."

Another party spokesperson Sambit Patra said Rahul Gandhi can never be 'Rahul Savarkar' as Savarkar stood for "patriotism, bravery and sacrifice", while the Congress leader is somebody who spoke in Pakistan's language on issues like the citizenship bill, Article 370 and surgical strikes.

Amit Malviya, the BJP IT cell head, tweeted that the former Congress president was right that he can never be Rahul Savarkar.

"For once Rahul Gandhi is right. He can never be 'Rahul Savarkar'. Veer Savarkar is a national icon, who has had a civilisational impact on India's polity and will continue to be revered for generations to come. 5 generation of Nehru-Gandhi family can't measure up to his legacy," he said.

Veer Savarkar is accused by his critics of tendering apology to the British government to secure release from jail when India was under the colonial rule.

(With PTI inputs)

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