Maha: BJP-Shiv Sena to organise Savarkar Gaurav Yatra across the state, says Chandrashekhar Bawankule

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday said that BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena will organise Savarkar Gaurav Yatra across the state from March 30 to April 6 to commemorate the contribution of freedom fighter V D Savarkar in the freedom movement of the country.

He said that apart from senior BJP leaders including Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and 40 MLAs of Shiv Sena will participate in the Savarkar Gaurav Yatra.

"BJP will take out 'Veer Savarkar Gaurav Yatras' in all 288 Assembly segments in Maharashtra from March 30. The Yatra will conclude on April 6, the foundation day of the Bharatiya Janata Party. We will reach out to people with the history of Savarkar and how he is being insulted by Congress," Bawankule said.

Bawankule also dared Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray to walk out of Maha Vikas Aghadi if he really cannot tolerate late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar's "insult" by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He said the country can never forget the contribution of Savarkar.

"Uddhav Thackeray is just doing drama by saying the insult of Savarkar is not acceptable. He abandoned the idea of Hindutva to retain power. Shiv Sena founder late Balasaheb Thackeray never tolerated the insult of Savarkar but Uddhav is tolerating it every day. We challenged Uddhav Thackeray to break the alliance with Congress if he has courage. But he did not accept this challenge," Bawankule said.

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Rahul Gandhi's "My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone" remark has drawn fire from BJP.

The former Congress chief made this remark while addressing a press conference after being disqualified from Lok Sabha and amid BJP's demands for his apology for allegedly insulting OBCs (Other Backward Classes) with his "Modi surname remark" that got him convicted for criminal defamation.