Savarkar’s grandson Ranjit Savarkar on appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to “thrash” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in public for “insulting” the late Hindutva icon .
Ranjit Savarkar was referring to the comments made by Rahul Gandhi at a public rally in Delhi.
Addressing the “Bharat Bachao Rally”, Rahul Gandhi rejected the BJP”s demand for apology for his “rape in India” barb, and added that his name was Rahul Gandhi, not “Rahul Savarkar”, and he will never apologise for speaking the truth.
The Sena heads the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government comprising the Congress and the NCP.
“Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly alleged that my grandfather had apologised to the British, which is not true. My grandfather had only agreed to the terms and conditions of the British to get freed from jail. He never swore allegiance to the British,” Ranjit Savarkar said.
Meanwhile Senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday night said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had “insulted” his grandmother and late prime minister Indira Gandhi with his utterances on Veer Savarkar.
He also said the country will never forgive Rahul Gandhi for the remarks even if he wants to apologise.
Hussain was speaking at the Savarkar memorial in Shivaji Park in Dadar on the occasion of the culmination of the Mumbai BJP’s march from suburban Borivali.
Many BJP leaders, including city unit BJP chief Mangal Prabhat Lodha, joined the march which began from the western suburb of Borivali, which is 28 kms away from Dadar, at 4 pm.
“By his comments on Savarkar, Rahul Gandhi has insulted his own grandmother who had hailed the contribution of Savarkar in the freedom struggle,” Hussain said.
Even if Rahul Gandhi wants to apologise for his remarks, the country will never forgive him, the former Union minister added.
Rahul Gandhi had triggered a political storm by saying that his name was Rahul Gandhi, not “Rahul Savarkar”, and he will never apologise for speaking the truth.
He had made the remarks at a rally in Delhi on Saturday while rejecting the BJP’s demand for apology over his “rape in India” barb.
BJP MPs Gopal Shetty and Manoj Kotak, Borivali MLA Sunil Rane and scores of the party workers joined the march. They raised slogans criticising Gandhi and hailing Savarkar.
Hussain told “Indira Gandhi’s government had issued a commemorative stamp on Savarkar in 1970. Gandhi had even donated Rs 11,000 from her personal account to Savarkar Trust. She had also asked the Films Division to produce a documentary film on Savarkar which she personally cleared in 1983,” he said.
