MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray advocated Bharat Ratna for Savarkar at a book release function in Mumbai on Tuesday evening and also stroked controversy by calling Rahul Gandhi a moron and saying that Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar should be beaten with shoes.
“Pakistan would not have come into existence had Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar been the country’s Prime Minister at the time,” Thackeray said and demanded that he be awarded Bharat Ratna as he released a biography titled “Savarkar: Echoes From A Forgotten Past”.
“We don’t deny the work done by (Mahatma) Gandhi and (first PM Jawaharlal) Nehru, but the country saw more than two families being born on the political scene,” Thackeray said.
“I would have called Nehru as Veer (brave) if he had survived jail for 14 minutes against Savarkar who stayed in prison for 14 long years,” he added.
If people get to know about Savarkar’s valour, then Nehrus and Gandhis would not exist, Thackeray said.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s past jibes at Hindutva icons including Savarkar, Thackeray called him a moron and said the former Congress chief should be given a copy of the book.
“This book on Savarkar should be given to Rahul Gandhi as he has a lot of time to read now. One cannot become the prime minister by pulling up their sleeves. One has to understand the thoughts of this country,” Thackeray said.
He also criticized former union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar over his 2018 remarks on VD Savarkar. If he [Mani Shankar Aiyar] is seen, then he should be beaten with shoes for sure, Uddhav Thackeray said on Tuesday.