‘Savarkar ate meat, didn’t oppose cow slaughter’, says Karnataka minister, BJP reacts | India News

Dinesh Gundu Rao’s comments anegered the BJP which lashed out at the Congress, calling it a factory of lies and India will tolerate disrespect of the Hindutva ideologue.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, Karnataka minister and Congress leader, triggered a row after he claimed that Savarkar was a meat eater and did not oppose cow slaughter.

Bengaluru: Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar did not oppose cow slaughter and was a non-vegetarian, Karnataka minister and Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao has said, triggering controversy and drawing a scathing attack from the BJP.

Speaking at the launch of the Kannada edition of “Gandhi’s Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India” by journalist Dhirendra K. Jha in Bengaluru, Rao said, “Claiming that Savarkar prevails in any debate is incorrect. He was a non-vegetarian, did not oppose cow slaughter, and belonged to the Chitpavan Brahmin community.”

Rao further noted that Mahatma Gandhi was a vegetarian with a strong belief in Hinduism, but “his actions reflected his democratic nature.” In contrast, he described Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as representing the opposite extreme.

“Jinnah was a staunch believer in Islam, though he drank wine and, reportedly, ate pork. Despite this, he became an icon of Muslim identity after the two-nation theory and its politics. However, Jinnah was not a fundamentalist, whereas Savarkar was,” Rao stated.

BJP lashes out

The Karnataka minister’s remarks did no go down well with the BJP and several of its leaders lashed out at him, saying he does not know Savarkar well.

“These people know nothing about Savarkar and repeatedly insult him,” he said. “Savarkar clearly expressed his views on cows, stating that from birth to death, cows support the life of a farmer, which is why they are revered as gods. Rahul Gandhi started this trend of making false claims about Savarkar, and I believe they are now trying to continue it,” Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said.

BJP MP Anurag Thakur claimed the Congress is a factory of lies and “India will not tolerate disrespect of Veer Savarkar”. He further rebuked the party for bringing Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a “blunder by Jawaharlal Nehru”.

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