MUMBAI: The snub to Congress over an opposition meeting marks a quick escalation of Sena (UBT)’s displeasure, coming a day after Uddhav Thackeray said at a rally in Malegaon that they have placed Veer Savarkar on a pedestal and though Sena (UBT) has supported Rahul Gandhi, he (Uddhav) would not tolerate any insult to Veer Savarkar.
“I have spoken about this to Rahul Gandhi in the past too. We have told them that Veer Savarkar is a question of faith for us. Even Congress leaders in Maharashtra will not agree with such insults to Savarkar like calling him ‘maafiveer’,” said Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut
Saamna, the party’s mouthpiece, also took on Gandhi over his Savarkar comments during a press conference on Saturday following his disqualification as an MP. It said Gandhi keeps saying, ‘I’m not afraid. Even if I’m in jail, I’ll keep asking questions’. “Repeated statements like ‘My surname is not Savarkar’ will not create this fearlessness and will not break the faith of the people towards Veer Savarkar. Veer Savarkar is great in his place. No one will get the strength to fight like Savarkar by slandering him as ‘maafiveer’ for no reason,” said Saamna. “By making defamatory statements against Savarkar, the sympathy gained by Rahul Gandhi will start ebbing. This will, for sure, put the Maharashtra Congress in an uncomfortable position.”
It added: “Just like Savarkar raised many warriors against the British, Rahul Gandhi has to raise strong warriors in his own party first. It is injustice to punish Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case, but the truth he is trying to fight for by defaming Veer Savarkar will not win. Rahul Gandhi was born in a family of martyrs. But Veer Savarkar, his brother Babarao Savarkar and their entire family made an equally great sacrifice for the nation… The derogatory statements Rahul Gandhi is making about Veer Savarkar will erode the sympathy created for him. Congressmen in Maharashtra will face the biggest problem.”
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