New Delhi: Close on the heels of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making a statement, “My name is not Rahul Savarkar”, the BJP has hit back saying that the more appropriate name for him would be “Rahul Jinnah”.
The controversy began with Rahul Gandhi making the statement during the “Bharat Bachao” [save the country] rally at New Delhi’s Ramlila Grounds.
“My name is Rahul Gandhi. I will never apologise for truth. I will die but not apologise and neither will any Congress leader apologise,” Rahul said responding to the BJP’s demand for an apology for his ‘Rape in India’ remark.
The comment did not go down well with the saffron party, which said that ‘Rahul Jinnah’ is more suitable as the former Congress chief has been following “Muslim appeasement politics.”
“The more appropriate name for you Rahul Gandhi is Rahul Jinnah,” said BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao. “Your Muslim appeasement politics and mindset makes you a worthy legatee of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, not Savarkar.”
Meanwhile, BJP Information Technology cell chief Amit Malviya said that Gandhi could never be ‘Rahul Savarkar’ as the Hindutva ideologue was “a national icon”. “…Who has had a civilisational impact on India’s polity and will continue to be revered for generations to come,” he tweeted.
“Five generation[s] of Nehru-Gandhi family can’t measure up to his legacy.”
Former CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis tweeted: Rahul Gandhi’s statement is absolutely condemnable! He is nowhere close to even a single good deed of Veer Savarkar & his greatness. Not just this,he should not even do the blunder of considering himself as ‘Gandhi’!One cannot become ‘Gandhi’by just keeping his surname as Gandhi!
BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that one needs to be ‘Veer’ (brave) to have Savarkar as your surname.
The comment of Gandhi also flayed by Savarkar’s grandson. Ranjit Savarkar, the grandson of Veer Savarkar, on Saturday said that it would have been a matter of embarrassment for his family had Rahul’s surname been Savarkar. “It is a good thing that his name is not Rahul Savarkar. Had his name been Savarkar, we would have had to hide our faces with shame,” Rajit said.
Meanwhile, what was surprising was that Congress ally Shiv Sena too hit out at Gandhi and said that the Congress must not insult Veer Savarkar.
“We respect Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi,” the party’s leader Sanjay Raut tweeted.
“You should not insult Veer Savarkar. No further explanation is needed for anyone sensible.” Sena leader Sanjay Raut said in a tweet adding that Savarkar is akin to God, not just in Maharashtra, but for entire nation.
It may be recalled that the Shiv Sena, which has formed an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra.
