Give Bharat Ratna to Savarkar, Raut tells BJP over row caused by Rahul Gandhi's remarks

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party should ensure that the late V D Savarkar gets Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award.

The BJP has been trying to corner the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said during his Bharat Jodo Yatra that Savarkar, a Hindutva ideologue, helped the British and wrote mercy petitions to them out of fear.

The Thackeray-led Sena faction is Congress's ally in Maharashtra.

''Bharat Ratna award should be bestowed upon Savarkar instead of exhibiting this pseudo affection towards him. Why the award has not been given to Savarkar so far?” Raut said here, commenting on the controversy.

“If they (BJP) have so much affection and respect for late Balasaheb Thackeray, they can also give Bharat Ratna to him,'' he further said, in apparent reference to BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction's allegation that Uddhav-led party has betrayed Bal Thackeray's Hindutva ideology.

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