Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent comments about late Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar. Fadnavis addressed the ‘Veer Savarkar Gaurav Yatra’ in Mumbai, where he claimed that Gandhi lacked an understanding of Savarkar, and that his party leaders had previously respected him. Fadnavis also criticised Maharashtra’s former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his stance on the issue and challenged him to take action instead of just making statements. The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has used the controversy surrounding Savarkar to attack the Congress, and the Maharashtra government has plans to organise a ‘Veerbhoomi Parikrama’ at Nashik, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Pune and Mumbai to mark the birth anniversary of Savarkar.
