Sanjay Nirupam slams Sena over Saamana column, alleges insult to Mahatma Gandhi & Nehru

On Monday, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam slammed the Shiv Sena for insulting freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose. Contending that the Sena was entitled to argue in favour of Veer Savarkar, he took exception at an article in the December 22 Saamana edition. He claimed that the article cast aspersions on the contribution of Congress in the freedom struggle. Describing this as a dangerous trend, Nirupam condemned this attempt by the Shiv Sena. Currently, Congress is a constituent of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. 

Read: Shiv Sena Takes An Indirect Jibe At Cong Over Savarkar, Gives 72-hours Andaman Challenge

Read: Uddhav Thackeray Maintains Silence On Savarkar; Harps On 'atmosphere Of Fear And Terror'

Rahul Gandhi sparks off controversy

The recent controversy over Savarkar can be traced to former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s statement at the Bharat Bachao rally where he remarked that he was not ‘Rahul Savarkar’ to apologise for his ‘Rape in India’ remark. It was a reference to Savarkar's alleged apology to the British seeking an early release from prison. This evoked a series of reactions from BJP leaders, especially in Maharashtra. While the Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declined to criticise its ally Congress, party MP Sanjay Raut spoke in defence of Savarkar on Twitter. 

Read: Uddhav Thackeray Should Beat Rahul Gandhi Publicly For Insulting Savarkar: Grandson Ranjit

Sanjay Raut's Saamana column

On December 22, Shiv Sena took an indirect dig at Congress for painting Savarkar in a poor light. Writing in his ‘Rokthok’ column in Saamana, Sena MP Sanjay Raut dared those accusing Savarkar of apologising to the British to spend even 72 hours in the Andaman prison. Contending that it had become a fashion for those having no contribution in the freedom struggle to question Savarkar, he claimed that even Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru had not gone through the torment faced by the likes of Savarkar. In the column, he recalled Savarkar’s work after coming back to India. 

Read: What Can We Expect From Him?: Ravi Prasad's Sarcastic Dig At Rahul's 'Savarkar' Remark