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Last Update: April 01, 2023, 23:52 IST
Pawar also told Rahul Gandhi that Savarkar was never a member of the RSS (PTI photo)
Defending Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is being targeted by the Bharatiya Janata Party for speaking on India’s issues on foreign soil, he said this is not the first time an Indian has spoken on the country’s issues while living abroad.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar said on Saturday that no one can ignore the sacrifice of late Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar for the country’s freedom struggle, but disagreement over him cannot be made a national issue today. Because there are many important issues to focus on.
Defending Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is being targeted by the Bharatiya Janata Party for speaking on India’s issues on foreign soil, he said this is not the first time an Indian has spoken on the country’s issues while living abroad.
Pawar was speaking at the Press Club in Nagpur, where he also visited Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s house.
to the question whether he spoke Rahul Gandhi On Savarkar and whether Congress leaders would be slow in their criticism of the late Hindutva ideologue, Pawar said leaders of 18-20 political parties recently discussed major issues facing the country.
The BJP has repeatedly accused Gandhi of “insulting” Savarkar. It is also organizing the Savarkar Gaurav Yatra in his honour.
“I suggested that we need to reflect on how the people in power are running the country,” he said.
Pawar said, “Savarkar is not a national issue today, it is an old thing. We had said some things about Savarkar but it was not personal. It was against the Hindu Mahasabha. But there is another side to this as well. We cannot ignore the sacrifice made by Savarkar ji for the freedom of the country. Pawar said that about 32 years ago he had talked about the progressive ideas of Savarkar in Parliament. He said that Savarkar got a house built in Ratnagiri and also built a small temple in front of it. “He appointed a person from the Valmiki community to perform the puja in the temple. I think it was a very progressive thing,” Pawar said.
The NCP leader said there was no need to specifically push Savarkar into the national narrative as there were many other major issues concerning the general public.
On the BJP’s criticism of Gandhi, Pawar said the Congress leader too has the freedom to express his opinion like everyone else.
Asked if it was appropriate for a leader to speak on issues related to India on foreign soil, Pawar said one should not attach much importance to it as it was not done for the first time.
NCP leaders had criticized the government in the past as well. “Only now such issues are being raised again and again. If people in the country feel agitated about something and if an Indian talks about it, then I think those issues should be addressed.” Asked whether he felt that the Lok Sabha and state elections would be held simultaneously in 2024, Pawar said they would not be held simultaneously.
During his visit to Nagpur, Pawar also met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari at the latter’s house and called it a courtesy call. On request from Pawar to Gadkari, a sub-centre of Vasantdada Chini Sansthan, Pune is coming up in Nagpur. Pawar is the chairman of this institute.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
