Protests held in parts of Maharashtra against Priyank Kharge over his remarks on Savarkar

Nagpur: The BJP and its youth wing on Friday held protests in parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Nagpur, to condemn Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge's remarks against Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar.

Kharge, a Congress leader, on Thursday said it would be appropriate to remove the portrait of Savarkar from the chamber of the Karnataka assembly, and if allowed, he would remove it.

"Who gave the title Veer to Veer Savarkar? There is no clarity on it. If they (BJP) know, let them tell. Whether Savarkar was taking pension from the British or not? Did he write an apology letter (to the British) five to six times or not? Did his family write the apology letter or not?" he asked.

Condemning his remarks, the BJP legislators in Maharashtra staged a protest outside the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex in Nagpur, where the winter session of the legislature is currently underway.

Several BJP MLAs gathered on the steps of the legislature complex, raised slogans condemning the Karnataka minister's comment and demanded responses from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on the issue.

In Mumbai, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP's youth wing, held a demonstration against Kharge at Dadar in central Mumbai. In neighbouring Thane, a protest was held outside the collector office.

In Nashik, the BJYM activists took out a symbolic funeral procession in the Red Cross signal area to denounce Kharge's remarks against Savarkar.

"Everyone knows Congress hatred towards Savarkar. Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut should clear their stand about the Congress which consistently makes controversial statements against Savarkar. Hindutva as per their convenience and double standards about Congress, which hates Savarkar, is the real face of Thackeray's lust for power," remarked BJYM's Nashik city unit president Sagar Shelar during the protest.

The BJYM activists warned the Congress leaders to stop making objectionable statements against Savarkar and threatened that "those supporting such people should be alert or else they will have to face their wrath."