Veer Savarkar lands Congress in Shiv Sena trouble

New Delhi: Veer Savarkar came back to haunt the Congress Party on Friday with both its new ally Shiv Sena and rival BJP targeting it over a booklet by the Seva Dal which made insinuations about Savarkar’s relationship with Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse.

The booklet was distributed at a Madhya Pradesh camp of the Seva Dal, a frontal organisation of the Congress.

The Congress had trouble with the Shiv Sena last when Rahul Gandhi said at a rally in New Delhi that he would not apologise as he was “Gandhi, not Savarkar”. On Friday, the Sena lashed out at the Congress, saying it had “dirt” in their mind by questioning Savarkar’s credentials as a patriot.

“Veer Savarkar was a great man and will remain a great man. A section keeps talking against him. This shows the dirt in their mind,” Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, responding to the insinuations in the booklet, titled Veer Savarkar, Kitne ‘Veer’?

The BJP said the insinuating comments were “abhorrent and perverted”, and demanded an apology from the Congress. Taking a dig, BJP general secretary Anil Jain said the “world knows various relationships of Congress leaders”, but that he did not want to throw such muck.

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said that the Congress should apologise for the “perverted” content in the booklet. “The booklet contains lies and perverted content. The Congress should tender an apology for the same,” Mr Patil said.

“Savarkar was acquitted by the court in the Gandhi assassination case. Despite this, the Congress-affiliated organisation is trying to link him and the accused in the case,” he said. Mr Jain alleged that except for one family nobody is worthy of respect for the Congress. He accused the party of denigrating leaders like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Savarkar.

Union minister Smriti Irani questioned the Congress as to how long would it “insult the sacrifices” of Savarkar and said the Opposition party will have to give an answer to the people of Maharashtra and all patriots in the country.

The Congress is an alliance partner of the Shiv Sena and the NCP in the Maharashtra government. Talks about government formation in Maharashtra had been stuck for long with the Congress insisting on secularism being a part of the Common Minimum Programme, which was thrashed out. This was later included.