Will blacken Rahul's face for insulting Savarkar, says Sena (UBT) leader in Nashik
MUMBAI: A Nashik leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday threatened to blacken Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's face for insulting Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his next visit to the city.
'Rahul Gandhi used abusive language for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar, and the case is filed against him in Nashik. We will not tolerate Savarkar's insult,' Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Nashik city unit deputy chief Bala Darade said on the sidelines of a function to mark VD Savarkar's birth anniversary on Wednesday.
'Rahul Gandhi will soon need to visit Nashik to appear before the court in this case. When he comes, we will blacken Rahul Gandhi's face, and if we can't reach there, we will throw stones at him,' the Sena leader said.
One of the cases that Rahul Gandhi faces for his comments on Savarkar is in Nashik, where a resident filed a case against him.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said Congress will not tolerate such language for Rahul Gandhi. 'Rahul Gandhi did not use any abusive words for Savarkar but only quoted some facts. We will not tolerate such threats to him,' said Sapkal.
Atul Londhe, spokesperson of the Congress's state unit, said Darade's remarks were part of a conspiracy engineered by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), adding that he hoped Uddhav Thackeray would act against Darade, who had crossed the line to attack the leader of an alliance partner.
Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare distanced the party from Darade's comments. Andhare told reporters that Darade's views were his own and not the official stand of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.
But the Thackeray-led Sena has long been uncomfortable over Gandhi's repeated attacks on Savarkar.
On December 17, 2024, Aaditya Thackeray called for moving beyond debates on historical figures and focusing on pressing developmental issues. 'The BJP and Congress must stop wasting time discussing Nehru and Savarkar,' he said, asserting that both leaders made their contribution to history and the country needed to focus on development.
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