Rahul remains firm on Savarkar's criticism, Congress backs him; ally Uddhav says 'have love and respect for him'

Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar during Bharat Jodo Yatra has not gone down well with the Shiv Sena as its president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said he does not support the Congress leader’s remarks as he respects Savarkar.

"We do not approve of Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Savarkar. We have immense respect and faith for Swatyantra Veer Savarkar and it cannot be erased,” he said.

Later in the day, Rahul Gandhi backed up his remarks at a press conference in Maharashtra's Akola, showing a copy of VD Savarkar's letter seeking mercy: "Savarkar ji wrote in it: 'I beg to remain, sir, your most obedient servant.' When he signed this letter, what was the reason? It was fear. He was afraid of the British."

On disagreements with allies on this, Mr Gandhi said, "If someone wants to put their ideology forward, they should." 

"This is my opinion about Savarkar ji signing this letter," he said, citing that Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Vallabhbhai Patel spent years in jail, "yet they never signed such a letter". "These are two ideologies. Our party is open to discussion. We have no dictators." 

“Despite the British offering him land, [Birsa Munda] refused to bow down; he chose death. We, the Congress party, consider him our idol. For the BJP and RSS, Savarkar ji, who wrote mercy petitions to the British and accepted pension, is an idol.”

The Congress has stood by Rahul Gandhi's comments. “It is a fact: Savarkar was the one who apologised to the British, and sold out the country to the British. I will also say this,” senior leader Digvijaya Singh said in Gujarat today.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction has an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi. His son and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray had participated in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra last week.

During a rally in Washim district on Tuesday organised as part of his yatra, Gandhi said Savarkar is a symbol of the BJP and the RSS. He was jailed in Andaman for two-three years. He started writing mercy petitions, the Congress MP had said.

The former Congress president had claimed Savarkar wrote a book on himself with a different name and highlighted how brave he was. He used to take pension from the British, work for them, and work against the Congress, Gandhi had said.