New Delhi: A local office-bearer of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) sparked a political controversy on Wednesday by threatening to blacken Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s face for his alleged derogatory remarks against freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Bala Darade, deputy city unit chief of the Sena (UBT) in Nashik, made the threat during an interview with a Marathi news channel on the occasion of Savarkar’s birth anniversary. Darade said, “We are proud to live in the birthplace of Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. Rahul Gandhi’s statement calling Savarkar ‘Mafi-Veer’ was insulting. If Rahul Gandhi comes to Nashik, we will blacken his face. If not, we will pelt stones at his convoy.”
Congress’ strong objection
Congress leaders in Maharashtra have strongly objected to Darade’s remarks. Both Sena (UBT) and Congress along with Sharad Pawar-led NCP(SP) are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition in Maharashtra. They are also part of the opposition INDIA bloc at national level.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal condemned Darade’s threat as “cowardly”, asserting that the Congress party and its leadership are undeterred by such intimidation. “Rahul Gandhi’s comments were grounded in historical references and not derogatory. Even prominent figures like Arun Shourie have written about Savarkar in similar contexts,” news agency PTI quoted Sapkal as saying.
Nashik resident files defamation case against Rahul
Yashomati Thakur, a senior Congress leader, reiterated that Rahul Gandhi’s remarks echoed established historical facts, adding, that her party believes in non-violence but is capable of responding to threats.
The Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare distanced the party from Darade’s comments, saying that they were his personal views and not the official position of the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction.
Meanwhile, a Nashik resident has filed a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi over his remarks about Savarkar, claiming they hurt public sentiments.
