Rahul Gandhi deserves gratitude for confessing he can never become like Savarkar: Fadnavis

Fadnavis said, “While I express gratitude to the author for penning such a book, I must mention there are some who have run a campaign against Veer Savarkar… Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has insulted Savarkar. He has the audacity to say, ‘I am not Savarkar’. But the question is do you have the ‘aukat’ to become Savarkar.

“Now, when I use this term, ‘aukat’, several interpretations can be drawn. But in Nagpur, which happens to be my home town, the term ‘aukat’ means ‘ability’.

“For someone born with a golden spoon, how will he (Rahul Gandhi) know the sacrifices made by Savarkar. How can he realise the hardships of staying in a dark, dingy room in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands…”

The deputy chief minister further said, “In some way, Rahul Gandhi deserves our gratitude. At least, he has confessed that he cannot be like Savarkar. Moreover, we should also credit Rahul Gandhi for creating controversies and thus keeping the Savarkar issue alive. Every time he makes a controversial statement, people rise in support of Savarkar with a vengeance.

“The Congress never endorsed and accepted Savarkar and Dr B R Ambedkar. They have rejected both of these leaders. They even rejected Subash Chandra Bose.”

“The year 2024 will mark the 100th year of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar receiving the title of Veer (courageous). But some political parties are questioning this title,” Fadnavis further said.