Shrikant Shinde refers to Indira Gandhi's letter to Savarkar in LS, sparks uproar

New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Saturday invoked in the Lok Sabha a letter written by former prime minister Indira Gandhi praising V D Savarkar, triggering heated exchanges between the treasury benches and Congress members.

Referring to Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi's critical comments earlier on Savarkar, Shinde questioned the Congress' repeated criticism of the freedom fighter.

Reading out Indira Gandhi's letter, Shinde said, "Veer Savarkar's daring defiance of the British government has its own importance in the annals of our freedom movement. I wish success to the plans to celebrate the birth centenary of this remarkable son of India."

Shinde then posed a pointed question to Rahul Gandhi, "Was your grandmother, Indira Gandhi, also against the Constitution in praising Savarkar? We take pride in Savarkar ji and his contribution to the nation."

The remarks led to an uproar with Rahul Gandhi standing up, seeking to respond. However, Shinde refused to yield, prompting Congress MPs to storm the Well of the House demanding that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak.

Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, said that Rahul Gandhi would be allowed to respond only after Shinde concluded his speech.

Shinde also accused the leader of the opposition of speaking on everything except constitutional matters.

"Rahul ji has talked about everything except the Constitution. But he forgot that in 1984, the Congress was responsible for non-stop violence against Sikh brothers. In 1964, 1,070 communal riots occurred during the Congress rule. Remember how bullets were fired at 'kar sevaks' and the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts took place under their tenure? In the last 10 years, not a single bomb blast has happened in the country," he said.

Amid the din, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also targeted the Congress, accusing it of spreading lies.

"Indira Gandhi had even funded Savarkar's trust. The Congress should stop spreading lies. Rahul Gandhi can never be Savarkar," he said.

Later, Rahul Gandhi said, "I had asked Indira Gandhi ji about her views on Savarkar, and she said, 'Savarkar apologised to the British... Gandhi ji went to jail, Nehru ji went to jail, but Savarkar ji sought forgiveness'".

BJP MP Anurag Thakur also hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his speech on the Constitution.

"Some people carry the Constitution in their hands, but they can't even tell how many pages it has because they've never opened it.

"In the preface to the Constitution, senior Supreme Court advocate Gopal Shankar Narayan writes, 'Our Constitution was crafted by the finest and most emancipated minds of the time and thankfully not directed by the confused Nehruvian social policy. Were it not for the strength of the document, Indira Gandhi would have been compelled to end the darkest episode in Independent India by ending the Emergency'," the former Union minister said.

"During his (Rahul Gandhi's) time, he spoke about cutting off thumbs, but it was you who massacred Sikhs. You carry the Constitution around, but you were the ones who destroyed it," he said, referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Citing the story of Eklavya, who chopped off his thumb as 'Guru Dakshina' for Dronacharya, Rahul Gandhi said that by creating "monopolies" in various sectors, bringing in the Agnipath scheme, firing teargas shells at protesting farmers, bringing in lateral entry and allowing paper leaks, the government was "chopping off" the thumb of the youth, tillers, backward classes and the poor.

Later in a post on X, Shinde said, "The Shiv Sena vehemently condemns the shameless character assassination of Swatantryaveer Savarkar ji. It is appalling that opposition political parties in Maharashtra remain spineless and mute spectators in the face of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's relentless and disgraceful campaign to defame Savarkar ji".

He said Rahul Gandhi has been brazenly insulting a national icon for petty political gains, showing utter disregard for the sacrifices and contributions of a true patriot.

"This repeated affront to Savarkar ji is not just an insult to one man but an attack on the pride of every Maharashtrian and every patriotic Indian. The Shiv Sena warns that any further disrespect towards Swatantryaveer Savarkar ji will be met with unwavering resistance. We will not tolerate such vile attempts to tarnish the legacy of one of India's greatest freedom fighters," he said.