Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has found himself in a tight spot again with his comments on Savarkar during a press conference on Saturday. Upset with Rahul's “I am not Savarkar, won't apologise” comment, Uddhav Thackeray announced he will not attend Congress's dinner meet in Delhi on Monday, ANI tweeted.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had called a meeting of like-minded parties at his residence to discuss the political situation after Rahul's conviction and disqualification as MP. On Saturday, when Rahul was asked about his refusal to apologise for his comments on democracy in the UK or for the "Modi surname" remark that led to his disqualification, he said: "My name is not Savarkar. My name is Gandhi and Gandhi doesn't apologise."
Earlier, the former Maharashtra chief minister had warned Rahul against creating “fissures” in the alliance with such comments. "I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that we have come together, that's right, we have come together to save democracy and constitution in this country. But do not make any statements that will create fissures. They (BJP) are trying to provoke you, if we miss this timing, then our country will surely go towards autocracy," Uddhav Thackeray said. “We will not tolerate the insult of Savarkar,” he said.
He further said: "I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that you walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, Sanjay Raut walked with you, we are with you. But I want to tell Rahul Gandhi openly that this fight is for saving democracy. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi that Savarkar is our God, we won't tolerate his insult. We will not tolerate this at all."
Rahul's comments on Savarkar during the Bharat Jodo Yatra had also drawn sharp criticism from Uddhav's faction of Shiv Sena—the Congress's ally in Maharashtra.
The BJP also hit out at Rahul earlier. Union Minister Anurag Thakur has said the Congress leader can never be Veer Savarkar even in his "best dreams" as it required strong determination and love for the country.