Remove Thackeray, add Gandhi or Jinnah to your name: GVL Rao attacks Uddhav over silence on Congress' anti-Savarkar book

Hitting out at Maharashtra Chief Minister for being silent over Congress Seva Dal's anti-Savarkar book, BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao on Friday said that Sena chief should remove Thackeray from his name and "add Gandhi or Jinnah" to it.

Congress Seva Dal's booklet claim that Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar had a 'physical relationship' with Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.

Rao said that a 'self-declared tiger' Uddhav has gone on a silent mode and has become "dumb and scared" over the issue as he is the leader of Maha-Vikas Aghadi formed by Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress.

"Uddhav Thackeray is self-declared Bhakt of Veer Savarkar. The entire ideology of Shiv Sena supports and propagates Savarkar's ideology. But now, Thackeray has gone in a silent mode, the self-declared tiger has become dumb and scared. He does not have the right to continue his name as Thackeray if he cannot rebuke it," said the BJP MP while speaking to ANI.

"Uddhav should drop his family title 'Thackeray' as it has memory and legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray (father of Uddhav). If he wants to further placate himself in Nehru and Gandhi's family then he may add Gandhi or Jinnah to his name as a Thackeray doesn't really succumb and surrender to the pursuit of power at the altar of sacrificing one's political ideology," he added.

Rao said that Savarkar is someone who is looked upon as a "God-like figure" in Maharashtra. "He (Savarkar) is held in that high esteem in Maharashtra. Balasaheb and Uddhav Thackeray also considered Savarkar a hero," he said.

He said that both Congress and Thackeray should "hang head in shame".

"Thackeray has compromised his ideals and ideology of his father for the sake to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Both Congress and Thackeray should "hang head in shame"," Rao said.

The booklet titled 'Veer Savarkar Kitne Veer?' was distributed during the 10-day camp of Congress Seva Dal. Congress Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai said that the writer has written the booklet on the basis of evidence."Writer has written it on the basis of evidence. But that's not important for us whether he was gay or not. In our country today, everyone has a legal right to have their own preferences," Desai told ANI.The booklet gave a reference citing page 423 the 'Freedom at Midnight' book written by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, which states that Godse had a homosexual relationship with his "political guru" Savarkar before the former turned celibate.The booklet also claimed that Savarkar encouraged his followers to rape women from minorities and pelted stones at mosques when he was 12 years old.