Pune: Protests have erupted in Maharashra over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Addressing a press conference during his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra on Thursday, Gandhi showed a paper to the media persons, claiming it was a letter written by Veer Savarkar to the British. He reiterated that Savarkar had helped the Britishers. In a protest against Gandhi's remarks, several workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) barged into the Congress's Pune city headquarters on Friday and attempted to blacken his photographs, news agency PTI reported.
The protesters shouted slogans against Gandhi and stuck posters with the message "Mafiveer (mercy seeker) Jawaharlal Nehru" on the walls of Congress Bhavan, an official from Shivaji Nagar police said.
"We detained 10 to 15 workers from the premises of Congress Bhavan," inspector Arvind Mane said. One of the members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP's youth wing, said they came to the Congress Bhavan to condemn Gandhi's remarks against Savarkar. "We doubt if Gandhi knows the Congress' history because late prime minister Indira Gandhi had given 'sanmaan patra' (citation) to Savarkar," he said.
The Congress leader had also earlier said that Savarkar was a symbol of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His remarks have triggered protests.
Meanwhile, the Pune police registered an offence against two Congress workers after they wrote "maafiveer" on a board at Savarkar's memorial in Swargate area on Friday.
"The Congress workers allegedly wrote 'maafiveer' on a board at the Savarkar Smarak, located near Sarasbaug in Swargate area," said senior inspector Ashok Indalkar of Swargate police station.
An offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot ), 504 (intentional insult to any person leading to provocation), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant ), and relevant sections of Prevention of Defacement of Property Act.
Meanwhile, the BJP's city unit said that in view of the incident, they would "cleanse" the Savarkar Smarak with milk.
(With PTI inputs)
