Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a blistering attack on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he will never apologise for speaking out the "truth". He said that it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his "assistant" Amit Shah who need to apologise for "destroying" the country's economy.
"I was told by the BJP in Parliament yesterday, 'Rahul ji, you gave a speech. Apologise for that.' I was told to apologise for something which is right. My name is not Rahul Savarkar. My name is Rahul Gandhi. I will never apologise for truth," Gandhi said at the party's 'Bharat Bachao' rally.
Rahul Gandhi's remark was an attempt to mock RSS ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who submitted at least three mercy petitions to the British between 1911 and 1918.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar submitted at least three mercy petitions to the British between 1911 and 1918. When he went to the United Kingdom for his law studies, he involved himself with radical organizations such India House and the Free India Society. He also published books advocating complete Indian independence by revolutionary means.
In 1910, Savarkar was arrested and ordered to be extradited to India for his connections with the revolutionary group India House. Savarkar submitted his first mercy petition on 30 August 1911. This petition was rejected on 3 September 1911. Savarkar submitted his next mercy petition on 14 November 1913, which also got rejected. In 1917, Savarkar submitted another mercy petition, this time for a general amnesty of all political prisoners. Savarkar was informed on 1 February 1918 that the mercy petition was placed before the British Indian Government.
Many BJP leaders look up to Savarkar for inspiration although he was a member of the Hindu Mahasabha and not the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP.
After Rahul Gandhi's statement, Rahul Savarkar is trending on Twitter. Netizens took to Twitter and they have been expressing their views in the way they know best: by posting about it on social media.
On Friday, the Congress leader refused to apologise for his remark and said that the issue is being raised by the BJP to deflect the attention of the people from protests in North-East over Citizen Amendment Act.
"I will not apologise... I have a clip in my phone in which Narendra Modi ji is calling Delhi a 'rape capital', will tweet it so that everyone can see. The main issue is Narendra Modi and Amit Shah set northeast on fire. Just to deflect attention from protests in North East, this is being made an issue by BJP," Gandhi had said. He had also said that the incidents of rape were being reported from different parts of India as the incidents were happening everywhere.
(Inputs from Agencies)
