Mumbai: Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar emerged as a major flashpoint on the tenth death anniversary of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray Thursday, locking the two rival factions of the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as well as the Congress in conflict.
The controversy started when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently walking through Maharashtra as part of his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, said Tuesday that Savarkar was fearful of the British and had filed mercy petitions to them from the prison, after being jailed for his nationalist activities.
The Eknath Shinde camp of the Shiv Sena — now known as Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena — and the BJP criticised the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction for allying with the Congress despite Gandhi’s “insult” of Savarkar.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition — which includes the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and was in power in Maharashtra till Shinde’s rebellion with a majority of Shiv Sena MLAs in June caused the Thackeray-led MVA government to fall. Shinde then formed a government with the BJP where he became Maharashtra CM with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy CM.
All this has brought the MVA parties even closer. Aaditya Thackeray even participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra last week, walking hand-in-hand with Gandhi and was seen hugging the Congress leader.
The Shinde camp and the BJP invoked Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s legacy, saying the leader would have given a “befitting reply” to Gandhi’s comments against Savarkar and would have been pained to see Thackeray scion, Aaditya, walk hand-in-hand with Gandhi on his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In response, Uddhav Thackeray distanced himself from Gandhi’s remarks, questioned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) contribution to the freedom struggle, and taunted the BJP saying he has joined hands with the Congress only to “preserve India’s freedom”.
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The conflict over Savarkar
Speaking at Maharashtra’s Washim on the occasion of Birsa Munda’s birth anniversary Tuesday, Gandhi compared the martyrdom of the tribal leader to Savarkar’s life, saying while the former fearlessly chose death, the latter — celebrated by the RSS and BJP — “wrote mercy petitions to the British”.
A day later, at a programme organised by the Shinde camp, CM Shinde said Maharashtra will not tolerate any insult to Savarkar, though there were some taking a soft stand on the issue, in a veiled reference to Uddhav Thackeray.
Shinde loyalist, MP Rahul Shewale, played an old video clip at the event, where Bal Thackeray can be seen hitting the poster of the Congress’ Mani Shankar Aiyar with a chappal (slipper) after the latter had allegedly insulted Savarkar. Shewale then showed how Aditya Thackeray was walking hand in hand with Gandhi and even hugging him.
“I request the CM and DCM (deputy CM) to stop this Bharat Jodo yatra and let them show that this is Savarkar’s Maharashtra and Maharashtra of his thoughts. The way Balasaheb Thackeray started chappal andolan (slipper rebellion) against Mani Shankar Aiyar, similarly I appeal to the Shiv Sainiks to start an andolan against Rahul Gandhi,” Shewale told the gathered party workers from the Shinde camp.
On Thursday, a few workers of Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena protested against Gandhi in Thane, Shinde’s home turf.
Speaking at Wednesday’s event, Fadnavis had said, “Balasaheb would give a befitting reply even through his actions to anyone who insulted Savarkar… Rahul Gandhi speaks derogatory words about Savarkar and Aaditya Thackeray hugs him and goes on a padayatra with him. Forget about us, how would Balasaheb be feeling in heaven on seeing this?”
Meanwhile, following the political uproar over his comments, Gandhi addressed a press conference in Maharashtra’s Akola Thursday, reiterating his earlier remarks on Savarkar.
Reading from a letter which he claimed was a copy of one of Savarkar’s mercy petitions to the British, Gandhi quoted, “I beg to remain sir your most obedient servant”.
He added: “When he signed this letter, what was the reason? It was fear. He was afraid of the British.”
‘Critics have no right to question us on Savarkar’
Responding to the ruling parties’ criticism, Uddhav Thackeray said Thursday, “We don’t agree with what Rahul Gandhi has said. We respect Savarkar… Whoever is questioning us, what is their contribution to the freedom struggle of the country? They don’t have the right to question us on Savarkar.”
He added: “The freedom that we got from the British, to maintain that freedom, we have formed an alliance with Congress.”
Despite Thackeray having joined hands with the Congress, the issue of Congress’s criticism of Savarkar has continued to be a thorn in their relations. The Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has, however, responded more aggressively in the past on the issue.
For instance, in December 2019, a month after the MVA was formed, Shiv Sainiks had taken to the streets to protest Rahul Gandhi’s “I am not Rahul Savarkar” remark, with party members also sending the Congress leader a book authored by Savarkar for Gandhi to understand his ideology.
Meanwhile, the two factions of the Shiv Sena had also clashed on the eve of Thackeray’s death anniversary, when CM Shinde Wednesday paid a tribute to the Bal Thackeray memorial at Shivaji Park, with MLAs and MPs in his faction.
Minutes later, workers of Shiv Sena (UBT) “purified” the site with gomutra (cow urine), and also changed the garlands and flowers offered, triggering a war of words between the two factions.
(Edited by Poulomi Banejree)
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