Mumbai, Jan 3: A fresh controversy erupted on Friday over booklets brought out by the Congress’ Seva Dal which has allegedly made certain derogatory remarks pertaining to revolutionary Vinayak Damodar ‘Veer’ Savarkar and Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.
Savarkar’s grandson Ranjit Savarkar demanded that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should file cases against the Congress, its former President Rahul Gandhi, and other leaders involved in publishing the objectionable references, while the Madhya Pradesh government should ban the offensive book.
In the Seva Dal booklets, “Veer Savarkar Kitne Veer” and “RSS and BJP Kuch Tathya aur Jankari” are among other titles which are being distributed at the ongoing 10-day Seva Dal training camp in Bhopal.
Among other things, one of the booklets has claimed that there was a physical relationship between Godse and Savarkar, the former Hindu Mahasabha chief.
Picking up an extract from Dominique Lapierre & Larry Collins’ book, “Freedom At Midnight”, the booklet said: “Before Nathuram Godse adopted Brahmacharya, there is just one mention about his physical relationship. The only physical relationship which Godse had before adopting Brahmacharya was a homosexual relationship with his political guru Veer Savarkar.”
Ranjit Savarkar, who is the Chairman of Swatantryaveer Savarkar National Memorial, here, said: “The Congress has been targeting Veer Savarkar and his legacy repeatedly for political mileage, but we never thought it would stoop so low.”
He demanded that all the Congress leaders responsible should be booked for defamation, criminal conspiracy and other sections of the Indian Penal Code, and the booklet must be banned.
Ranjit Savarkar pointed out that the references made in the book, “Freedom At Midnight”, were withdrawn by the publishers long ago.
