BELAGAVI: RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge on Thursday sparked a controversy with his comments on the portrait of Veer Savarkar.
Speaking to the media, Priyank said that he will get the portrait of Veer Savarkar removed from the Assembly Hall in Suvarna Vidhana Soudha immediately if he is allowed to do so.
He said it was better to remove the portrait of Savarkar from the Assembly Hall.
“I do not agree to those principles and ideologies where equality never existed. I will not agree to the ideologies which led to the killing of Mahatma Gandhiji,’’ Priyank said, adding that he would remove the portrait “today itself but it should be done as per the rules”.
“We have to wait for the Speaker’s decision. I always believe in the Constitution,” he added. Questioning as to how Savarkar got the title ‘Veer’, Priyank asked, “Did the family of Savarkar not write a clemency petition to the British? What was Savarkar’s opinion about Gomata (cow). Wasn’t he getting a pension from the British?”
The minister said he did not agree with the ideologies of Savarkar and that he has appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to remove the portrait from the Assembly Hall.
When asked if former PM Jawaharlal Nehru’s portrait should be put up in place of Savarkar, Priyank replied in affirmative saying, “Nehru was in jail for more than 3,000 days and is the first PM of India. Nehru laid a strong foundation for what the BJP claims the country is economically stronger,’’ he added.