A Pune court has issued summons to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, requiring him to appear before the court on October 23 in a criminal defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of the late Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
The complaint, represented by advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, alleges that Gandhi made objectionable remarks about Savarkar during a visit to the United Kingdom last year. Following Gandhi’s statements made on March 5, 2023, in London, Satyaki Savarkar lodged a formal complaint with a Pune magistrate in April 2023, claiming that the Congress leader intentionally made false and damaging accusations that tarnished Savarkar’s reputation and caused mental distress to him and his family.
Earlier this year, the Pune court instructed local police to investigate the defamation complaint under Section 202 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
On the same day, Satyaki Savarkar, along with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, criticized the Congress party following statements made by Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao regarding Veer Savarkar’s ideology and claims that he “consumed beef” despite being a Chitpavan Brahmin.
Ranjit Savarkar, Vinayak Savarkar’s grandson, accused the Congress party of attempting to defame Savarkar, particularly as elections approach. He said that the party’s actions aimed to divide Hindu society along caste lines to secure electoral victories, drawing parallels to the British colonial strategy of “divide and rule.”
Ranjit Savarkar refuted the claims regarding his grandfather’s dietary habits, stating that they were false and vowed to file a defamation suit against Dinesh Gundu Rao for his statements. He argued that Veer Savarkar’s writings emphasized the utility of cows, asserting that they are revered as deities in Hindu culture, and noted that he had served as president of a Gau Raksha Samelan (cow protection conference).
“This is a calculated strategy by Congress to repeatedly defame Savarkar, especially with elections on the horizon. Rahul Gandhi initiated it, and now his party members are following suit. Congress has revealed its true intentions. Their goal is to create divisions among Hindus for electoral gains,” he said.
(Inputs from ANI)