Published 17:06 IST, December 15th 2019
BJP asks Shiv Sena to pick between power and Savarkar, over Rahul Gandhi's remark
BJP spokesman said the country will never forgive Congress Rahul Gandhi for insulting Savarkar and asked the Shiv Sena to choose between power and Savarkar
BJP spokesman Shahnawaz Hussain on Sunday said the country will never forgive Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for insulting Veer Savarkar and asked the Shiv Sena to choose between power and the freedom fighter. Talking to reporters here, Hussain, in a stinging attack on the Congress leader, said there can be no comparison between Savarkar and Gandhi, who has a "borrowed" surname. Addressing the Congress' mega 'Bharat Bachao Rally' in Delhi on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi rejected the BJP's demand for an apology over his "rape in India" barb and added that his name was Rahul Gandhi, not "Rahul Savarkar", and he will never apologise for speaking
"Just tweeting a protest against Gandhi's insult of Savarkar will not do. (Shiv Sena president) Uddhav Thackeray has to take a stand on whether he wants to share power with the Congress which has insulted the national icon and freedom fighter," he said. "The Shiv Sena has to choose between the government and Savarkar. The party has to clarify," he said. the truth. Hussain said all parties in the north-eastern states supported the bill in Parliament, but the Congress was "misleading" people there. "But, the situation is now normalising. The opposition party is deliberately misleading the minorities," he alleged.
Shiv Sena on Savarkar remark
Accusing the Congress of insulting nationalists and freedom fighters, the BJP spokesperson said the people taught a lesson to the Sonia Gandhi-led party twice and it was not even able to claim the leader of opposition's post in the Lok Sabha. "Veer Savarkar was given two terms of a life sentence. To become Savarkar, you need to do lot of hard work. There can't be even one-micron comparison between Savarkar and Rahul, who has a borrowed surname," he alleged.
The former Union minister further criticised the Congress over its opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and accused the party of "misleading" the people, especially minorities. "The bill, which has been passed by Parliament, seeks to give citizenship to religious minorities facing persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and who had taken refuge here since they don't have religious freedom.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's remark mentioning Savarkar, Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut on Saturday in a tweet said there could not be any "compromise" about reverence for the Hindutva ideologue. In a tweet, the Shiv Sena leader also said, "Veer Savarkar is the god of not only Maharashtra but the country. The name Savarkar is a nation of pride and pride. Like Nehru and Gandhi, Savarkar sacrificed his life for independence. Every such god should be honored. There are no compromises. Jai Hind."
Citizenship (Amendment) Bill
The contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was approved by both the Houses of the Parliament and became an Act after President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to it. The Act allows granting Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who have migrated after facing religious persecution in their respective countries. There have been violent protests in some north-eastern states of the country and the Jamia Millia Islamia university in New Delhi against the amended Citizenship Act.
Updated 17:23 IST, December 15th 2019