Savarkar spent many years in jail; none should question him: Assam CM
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New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday opened an attack on Rahul Gandhi over his Savarkar remarks, saying that those who have made no contribution to the country must not question freedom fighters, Asian News International reported.
Speaking at an event in New Delhi, which marked the 400th anniversary of the legendary warrior Lachit Barphukan of the Ahom dynasty that ruled Assam for 600 years, he slammed Rahul.
He said that Savarkar spent many years in jail, and it was a sin to question his contribution to Indian independence.
He said that the Mughals never conquered Northeast and South India. History needs to be rewritten since the "Left historians" distorted it saying that the Mughals conquered the entire India, he said adding that the Mughals never conquered northeast India, Assam or south India.
On Thursday, at a press conference as part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi read a letter which is believed to be written by Savarkar to the British administration. Rahul said that Savarkar, a saffron ideologue, betrayed freedom-fight leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel after he signed a letter of apology to the British before independence.
"Veer Savarkar wrote to the British saying, 'Sir, I beg to remain your most obedient servant', and signed on it. Savarkar helped the British. He betrayed leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel by signing this letter out of fear," ANI quoted Rahul.
Rahul's statement had irked the BJP factions, and the party's national spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that it was aligning with Congress' habitual insult of national icons like Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Patel. Patra had demanded an unconditional apology, while a complaint has been registered against Rahul at Thane Nagar police station.