Maharashtra BJP MPs protested in front of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Parliament on Monday against Rahul Gandhi's comments on Savarkar.
What did Rahul say?
Rahul Gandhi during a press conference on Saturday after his disqualification from the Lok Sabha said that his name is not Savarkar but Gandhi and Gandhi do not offer an apology to anyone.
His statement came after repeated calls by the BJP seeking his apology over various issues, including in the 2019 criminal defamation case.
Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde slammed Rahul over his comment
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde while speaking in Assembly on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said that he should be punished for his comments on V D Savarkar.
“Savarkar is not only Maharashtra's deity but is an idol for the whole country and Rahul Gandhi has defamed him… today also, he said that I am not Savarkar who will apologise. What does he think of Savarkar? He must be punished for this,” said Shinde.
Rahul often targets Savarkar
Gandhi has often targeted late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, saying that he helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear.
At the presser, he said that he had made appeals that he should be allowed to speak in Parliament but was not given permission.
"Wrote to the Speaker twice, then went to him personally and said 'you are the protector of democracy, allow me to speak', he smiles and says 'I can't do it'. If you cannot do it, who can do it, I may have to go to Modi ji then but he will not allow me to speak," Gandhi said.
"So, my point is that democracy is finished in this country, people cannot speak what is on their minds, institutions in this country are being attacked and the mechanism of that attack is the relationship between Narendra Modi and Adani," the Congress leader said.
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