Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis trained guns on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, asking if he or his mother ever paid homage or showed respect to Uddhav’s father Balasaheb Thackeray.
Mumbai,UPDATED: Apr 4, 2023 00:02 IST
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addressing the Savarkar Gaurav yatra organised by BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar in Mumbai’s Charkop area on Monday. (Screengrab: Twitter)
By Mustafa Shaikh: Adding fuel to the controversy that erupted after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “I am Gandhi, not Savarkar” remark, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis trained guns on Uddhav Thackeray, asking if his MVA alliance partner ever paid homage or showed respect to Balasaheb Thackeray.
Fadnavis was speaking at the Savarkar Gaurav yatra organised by BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar in Mumbai’s Charkop area on Monday. The yatra was organised by the BJP to show that they will not tolerate any insult to V D Savarkar.
Raising questions about Uddhav Thackeray’s alliance with the Congress, Fadnavis said, “Uddavji pays homage to Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary. Has Sonia Gandhi or Rahul ever paid homage to Balasaheb Thackeray or even tweeted once about him to show respect?”
Addressing the alliance, Fadnavis said, “Uddhav Thackeray can be in an alliance with whomever he wants. The real Shiv Sena is with us, and we are taking Balasaheb’s legacy forward.”
While addressing a press conference in New Delhi following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha over a defamation case filed against him in 2019, Rahul Gandhi had said, “My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray had said while addressing a rally in Nashik that he considered Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar as his idol and asked Rahul Gandhi to refrain from insulting him.
The Maharashtra BJP launched a scathing attack on Uddhav Thackeray and charged him with selective outrage for not rebuking Rahul Gandhi for his ‘Savarkar’ remark.
Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena faction is in alliance with the Congress and the NCP in Maharashtra to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
