Ticking off Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for compromising on his Hindutva ideals by his alliance with the Congress, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday questioned Mr. Thackeray’s silence over the newly formed Congress government in neighbouring Karnataka removing Hindutva ideologues V.D. Savarkar and K.B. Hedgewar from the school textbooks.
“You may remove their names from school textbooks, but one cannot erase Savarkar and Hedgewar or any other freedom fighter from the minds of the people,” said Mr. Fadnavis, speaking in Mumbai.
Taking a hardline stance against the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition of Mr. Thackeray’s Sena faction, the Sharad Pawar-led NCP and the Congress, Mr. Fadnavis asked that while the Congress government in Karnataka was acting on expected lines, would the MVA and Mr. Thackeray implement the ‘Karnataka pattern’ if it ever came to power.
“The Congress in Karnataka is acting as expected. They have set out to erase Savarkar’s name and are bent on appeasing minorities and supporting conversions. I want to ask the MVA, and particularly Mr. Thackeray who is in alliance with the Congress in Maharashtra, whether he will implement this ‘Karnataka pattern’ if the MVA comes to power in the State? What is your reaction on Savarkar now?” said the BJP leader.
Mr. Fadnavis said it was clear from Mr. Thackeray’s silence that he had compromised on his ‘Hindutva’ ideals for the sake of power when he severed ties with the BJP and allied with the ideologically opposed Congress and NCP after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election to become CM of the erstwhile MVA government.
Speaking in Nagpur, BJP State chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that voting the Congress to power in Karnataka was proving a big mistake for the people there as the ruling party had effaced Savarkar’s contributions to the freedom struggle and was now scuppering laws prohibiting conversions.
The Savarkar issue has been the cause of internal friction within the MVA with Mr. Thackeray sharply upbraiding Congressman Rahul Gandhi over the latter’s remarks against the Hindutva ideologue by stating that the Sena (UBT) regarded Savarkar as “a deity” and would “not tolerate any insult” against him.
Mr. Gandhi’s frequent criticisms of Savarkar — a particularly sensitive topic in Maharashtra — had embarrassed Mr. Thackeray during the former’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in the State in November last year as well, leading to talks of schisms within the MVA.
Speaking in Pune, CM Eknath Shinde said that the Congress’ attempts in Karnataka to erase Savarkar’s contributions to the Indian freedom struggle were “highly condemnable”.
Earlier in April this year, the Shinde-Fadnavis government had announced the launch of the ‘Savarkar Gaurav Yatra’ across the State to protest against Mr. Gandhi’s repeated ‘insult’ of the Hindutva ideologue and corner the MVA, especially Mr. Thackeray’s faction over the issue.
