Shiv Sena (UBT) to skip Kharge meeting over Rahul Gandhi’s Savarkar remark
The Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana also hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his V D Savarkar jibe.
3 min read
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) had opposed Rahul Gandhi's statements on Savarkar. (File Photos)A day after Uddhav Thackeray warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that the insult of V D Savarkar will not be tolerated by his party, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said that the party has decided not to attend the meeting at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Monday over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “I am not Savarkar, I am Gandhi” remark.
Opposition MPs have been putting on a joint front against the government, protesting Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP. However, the Shiv Sena (UBT) did not attend the joint Opposition protest at the Gandhi statue and the march to Parliament on Monday.
Expressing the party’s displeasure over Gandhi’s remarks, Raut had said that he will meet Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and advise him to refrain from commenting on Savarkar. “The statement is wrong. Rahul ji is Gandhi but there is no need to drag him in all this,” Raut said.
Shiv Sena UBT MP Arvind Sawant confirmed that the party will not attend the dinner hosted by Kharge on Monday.
While the Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana hit out at Gandhi for his comments, a source said that Uddhav Thackeray is likely to meet Rahul and discuss the issue.
Stating that though his party had joined the Congress leader’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in a bid to save democracy, Uddhav had said that Rahul should avoid making statements that will create a rift between the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress.
“I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that we walked with you in your ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as it was for the fight to save democracy. But I want to openly tell Rahul Gandhi that Savarkar is a God-like figure for us and we will not tolerate his insult…. We are fighting together in this battle. But do not make statements or take steps that will create fissures (between the Sena (UBT) and the Congress). They (BJP) are trying to provoke you. If we missed the timing today, then our country will surely go towards autocracy,” Uddhav had said, addressing his Shiv Garjana rally at Malegaon on Sunday evening.
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