‘Same fate as Indira Gandhi’: Rahul alleges life threat from BJP MPs amid Savarkar row

New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, has claimed that two BJP MPs threatened him with the same fate as his grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, following his comments about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in 2022.

The allegation came as a court in Nashik, Maharashtra, on 24 July granted Mr Gandhi bail in a defamation case linked to his remarks about the Hindutva leader.

Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, said the Congress party filed an application to ensure certain developments were placed on the court record so the “entire political and historical context” could be considered.

“For the past 15 days, our client Rahul Gandhi has been leading a protest against the Election Commission. While this agitation was ongoing during the parliament session, there was a verbal exchange between the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi over the word ‘Hindutva’ – all of which is on record,” Mr Pawar said.

What exactly was the threat, according to the Congress MP?

The lawyer alleged that around the same time, two BJP MPs told Mr Gandhi to “step aside” and warned him that “in the future, he would meet the same fate as his grandmother.” They also allegedly called him “the biggest terrorist.”

Why is the ‘genealogy’ of concern to Rahul Gandhi?

Mr Pawar said a major worry for the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was the “genealogy” of those making the threats.

“In this background, we felt that since this case is pending before this court for evidence, and given the entire genealogy in question and the fact that these are Savarkar’s followers combined with the stand Rahul Gandhi has now taken, he could be betrayed or harmed,” he added.

What action has the court taken?

According to Mr Pawar, it was important to have these concerns formally recorded in the court’s proceedings.

“That is why we have filed the application before the court today, and the court has accepted it. The next hearing will be on September 10,” he said.

What is the defamation case about?

The criminal defamation case was filed by Nashik resident Devendra Bhutada, director of a non-profit organisation. Mr Bhutada alleged that during a press conference in Hingoli and a speech made during his yatra, Mr Gandhi made remarks that damaged Savarkar’s reputation.

(With agency inputs)