Savarkar Politics: Distance from Congress’s dinner party in Delhi… understand Uddhav Thackeray’s compulsion on Savarkar

Mumbai:New equations seem to be forming in the politics of Maharashtra too after Rahul Gandhi was stripped of his membership of Parliament. Rahul Gandhi had said during the press conference that he is not Savarkar but Gandhi, so will not apologise. After this, from Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde to Uddhav Thackeray warned Rahul Gandhi. Uddhav Thackeray’s stand is important because he is a partner in the Mahavikas Aghadi along with the Congress and the NCP. Uddhav Thackeray warned Rahul in the Malegaon meeting and then distanced himself from the Congress dinner party in Delhi. After all, to understand what is Uddhav Thackeray’s compulsion on Savarkar Navbharat Times Online senior journalist NK Singh talked to.

Question- What is the danger to Uddhav Thackeray?
answer- This is the problem of our election system. We have many identity groups here. Political parties also play on this. Shiv Sena is an identity group, Yadav-Dalit is an identity group. In the constitution, only scheduled caste was written, but Nitish Kumar broke that too and made Mahadalit a category. Second, politics is opportunistic. Has the Congress ever considered Savarkar as its ideal? Uddhav Thackeray knew this thing even when he formed the government. His objection is regarding his area, because if he does not do this, BJP will eat him. BJP is spreading itself. There she is doing it by bringing the spirit of hardcore Hindutva. Uddhav Thackeray is not in danger from Congress, he is in danger from BJP. She will marginalize them all over Maharashtra, especially in and around Mumbai where Shiv Sena has influence. Uddhav Thackeray is doing this so that BJP may not attack him again. That’s why he didn’t even go to dinner.

Question- What was the difficulty if Uddhav Thackeray did not oppose Rahul Gandhi’s stand on Savarkar?
answer- Had he not protested, BJP would have started cashing in that Rahul Gandhi had said this on Savarkar and yet Uddhav Thackeray is doing so. In such a situation, their core hardcore Hindutva will end. Somebody ask Uddhav Thackeray that when you came together by forming the Mahavikas Aghadi, did the Congress consider Savarkar as its God. BJP fights against Nitish Kumar. Then together BJP comes to power. Then goes with the one against whom (RJD) Nitish Kumar fought. This is the shortcoming of our FPTP (First Past the Post i.e. majority system). That is, the candidate who gets the most votes in the assembly constituency wins. In a society that is badly divided into identity groups, you cannot run with logic.

Question- What is the compulsion of Uddhav Thackeray and regional parties like him in competition with BJP? What option does Uddhav have?
answer- If Uddhav Thackeray will come with BJP then BJP will slowly digest him. When a crocodile hunts big, it slowly pulls it with its teeth. BJP will digest them. All the people who are with him, he has digested them all. Your coverage area is limited and only in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena is identified with Marathi identity. Uddhav Thackeray is not with the people from outside who are coming in this, be it Gujaratis or others. Your expansion is not even in the whole of Maharashtra. In such a situation, you have to grow by yourself. Otherwise you will not even be a second player, you will not exist. Like Nitish Kumar stayed with Lalu or BJP. This is also the compulsion of Uddhav Thackeray. The same compulsion is with RJD and the same compulsion is with Mayawati or SP. It is the compulsion of the regional parties to either align with the BJP or enjoy power. Apart from BJP, there is only one option – all opposition parties unite. Nitish Kumar has done it but Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati are not able to do it. There is a case against both. ED can raid both. Nitish does not have this fear.

Question- What is Savarkar’s Hindutva and why is he a symbol of hardcore Hindutva?
answer- There are two types of Hindutva. There is a soft Hindutva which is the core of Hinduism. By gently showing him that Muslims have come, then soft Hindutva will not work on the pretext of Muslim appeasement politics. That’s why there is talk of hardcore Hindutva and Savarkar is its symbol. He has said in his book that apart from being a Hindu, man has to live as a second class citizen. They will have to live under India, Mother India and Hinduism. This suits hardcore Hindutva. Savarkar has two sides. He was very intelligent. From 1900 to 1906, he read and studied things in the British Library. There was no match for the intellectual capacity of that man. It is true that the British put him in jail. Savarkar was very strong intellectually as well as he was devoted to Hindutva. In any new era, in which secular people have sentiments, they can also be considered bad. But Savarkar is Savarkar. If Dr. Ambedkar is on one side, then Savarkar is on the other side. The other side of Savarkar is that he had given an apology to the British. Dr. Hedgewar was revolutionary when he brought RSS. When people said why you are not participating directly with Gandhi and Congress, he said that our organization is still emerging. If we don’t end up increasing it then we have to go along. This was part of Hedgewar’s strategy. Similarly, there is another aspect of Savarkar’s personality. No one did what Savarkar did to protect Hindutva and to make hardcore Hindutva flourish.