Speaking at a rally held by the Congress, Rahul Gandhi said his name wasn’t “Rahul Savarkar” as he refused to apologise for the “truth” — by this he meant comments he had made earlier on sexual violence, for which he’d come under fierce attack by the BJP.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Rahul defends ‘Rape in India’ remark, says won’t say sorry for truth
- Says he isn’t ‘Rahul Savarkar’, BJP hits back
- Look forward to Sena’s defense of Rahul: BJP’s Malviya
Asenior BJP leader says he looks forward to Congress ally Shiv Sena’s defense of Rahul Gandhi’s insinuation that Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a coward.
Speaking at a “Bharat Bachao” rally held by the Congress, Rahul Gandhi said his name wasn’t “Rahul Savarkar” as he refused to apologise for the “truth” — by this he meant comments he had made earlier on sexual violence, which the BJP had pounced on to launch a fierce attack on him.
“Looking forward to seeing Shiv Sena defend Rahul Gandhi for his statement implying that Veer Savarkar was a coward who apologised’!” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya tweeted later.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP fell out recently after they won the Maharashtra election together. After weeks of drama, a coalition formed by the Sena, the NCP and the Congress came to power.
Amit Malviya✔@amitmalviya
Looking forward to seeing Shiv Sena defend Rahul Gandhi for his statement implying that ‘Veer Savarkar was a coward who apologized’!
Another BJP leader, GVL Narasimha Rao, said a more appropriate name for Rahul Gandhi would be “Rahul Jinnah”.
Rao said the Congressman’s “Muslim appeasement politics and mindset” made him “a worthy legatee of Muhammed Ali Jinnah”.
GVL Narasimha Rao✔@GVLNRAO
The more appropriate name for you @RahulGandhi is RAHUL JINNAH. Your Muslim appeasement politics and mindset makes you a worthy legatee of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, not Savarkar. #RahulJinnah https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1205753882686582784 …
ANI✔@ANI
Rahul Gandhi, at party’s ‘Bharat Bachao’ rally: I was told in Parliament by BJP y’day ‘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.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among the other senior leaders who spoke at the party’s “Bharat Bachao” rally, which it held to highlight the “failures” of the Modi government.
Prasanta Patnaik