Rahul Gandhi’s face will be blackened, stones pelted: Sena (UBT) leader on Savarkar remark

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bala Darade, an ally of the Congress in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, has triggered a controversy by threatening to blacken the face of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi if he ever visits Nashik, over his past remarks against Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, although another party leader distanced the party from the threat, stating that it was Darade’s personal comment.

Darade, who is the Shiv Sena (UBT) deputy city chief in Nashik, made the threat while speaking at a Savarkar Jayanti event, and he claimed that the local cadre would not tolerate any perceived insult to Savarkar, which he said would provoke them into taking physical action against Gandhi, either by blackening his face or pelting him with stones.

The statement, which was delivered with clear defiance of the alliance spirit, prompted strong responses from Congress leaders, who criticised the language and tone, calling it both irresponsible and inflammatory, while asserting that criticism based on historical records should not be equated with provocation, The Indian Express reported.

State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal described the comments as deeply unfortunate, and stressed that Gandhi’s views on Savarkar were grounded in publicly available documents, while adding that the party would not tolerate such threats and that Congress workers were capable of responding if necessary. Former state minister Yashomati Thakur also condemned Darade’s remarks, warning that any attempt to physically target Rahul Gandhi would not go unanswered.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leadership sought to contain the damage by distancing itself from the remarks, with party leader Sushama Andhare clarifying that Darade’s statement should be seen as his personal opinion and not the party’s official position, even though it comes at a sensitive time when opposition unity remains critical in Maharashtra’s shifting political landscape.

Tensions between Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) over the legacy of V D Savarkar have flared in the past as well, particularly during the Bharat Jodo Yatra when Rahul Gandhi accused Savarkar of having betrayed the freedom struggle by submitting mercy petitions to the British — a view that has consistently angered not just the BJP but also a section of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders who revere Savarkar as a nationalist figure.