Thackerays’ old link to Savarkar, burnishing Hindutva credentials: Why Uddhav disapproved of Rahul’s remarks
Eknath Shinde during his rebellion accused Uddhav Thackeray of diluting the party’s Hindutva politics. By staying silent on Rahul Gandhi's comments, the former Maharashtra CM ran the risk of giving his critics more ammunition.

Of the many people who would meet up with Vinayak Damodar Savarkar when he was confined to Ratnagiri after being released from Andaman jail in 1921 was one Prabodhankar Thackeray. A known social reformer, Thackeray would often discuss various political and social issues with Savarkar.
Almost four decades later, his son Balasaheb Thackeray formed the Shiv Sena and remained a lifelong exponent of the ideology of Hindutva espoused by Savarkar whom, in reverence, he referred to as a “great leader”.
While Savarkar’s idea of Hindu nationalism has had a massive impact on modern political thought in India, his contributions to Marathi culture in terms of poems and his attempt to purify the Marathi language have bestowed a hallowed position to Savarkar in the state.
It is this context, coupled with the Thackerays’ close familial links with Savarkar, that prompted Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to disagree with Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of the Hindutva ideologue. “We do not approve of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Savarkar. We have immense respect and faith for Swatantra Veer Savarkar and it cannot be erased,” Thackeray said on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Gandhi said at a rally in Washim district, “He (Savarkar) was jailed in Andaman for two to three years. He started writing mercy petitions.” The former Congress president claimed Savarkar “wrote a book on himself with a different name and highlighted how brave he was”. He added, “He used to take pension from the British, work for them, and work against the Congress.” Gandhi stuck to his comments on Thursday.
In 2003, when Savarkar’s portrait was unveiled in the Lok Sabha for the first time, Shiv Sena MPs celebrated. Though the Uddhav-led faction of the Sena has now hitched its wagon to Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the current episode shows it cannot let pass any perceived insult of Savarkar. One of the reasons why the Eknath Shinde-led group of Sena leaders rebelled against Uddhav was the fear that by joining hands with secular parties, the Sena was diluting its Hindutva politics that has worked for the party since the days of Balasaheb Thackeray. Shinde has claimed that it is the true inheritor of Thackeray’s legacy and accused Thackeray of betraying the ideals of his father as well as the ideology of Hindutva.
Savarkar’s popularity can be gauged from the fact that NCP chief Sharad Pawar in December 2021 praised him. Pawar said the Hindutva icon held a scientific approach to Hinduism and was one of the earliest to promote temple entry reforms for Dalits.
“It was Savarkar who advocated the utility of cow meat and milk for human consumption. He was a rationalist. He approached the issue scientifically, which cannot be undermined.” Pawar said in his address on the concluding day of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Nashik in December 2021.
The adulation reserved for Savarkar made the Sena raise the demand for honouring Savarkar with the Bharat Ratna. “Hindu Hriday Samrat Veer Savarkar should be honoured with Bharat Ratna. Like Savarkar, Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray should also be honoured with Bharat Ratna,” said Sanjay Raut, chief spokesperson of the Shiv Sena (UBT), at his customary press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.
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