Karnataka minister’s ‘Savarkar used to eat meat’ comment draws ire

Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao (Image: PTI)

Congress leader and Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has sparked a controversy with his comments on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar being a non-vegetarian and not against cow slaughter.

“Savarkar, a 'Chitpavan Brahmin', used to eat meat. He was a non-veg eater and he was not against cow slaughter. He was modern in a way,” Rao was quoted as saying by PTI. He was speaking in Bengaluru at the launch of the Kannada version of the book “Gandhi's Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India” by journalist Dhirendra K Jha.

“Some say that he used to eat beef as well. As a Brahmin, he used to eat meat and was openly propagating eating meat,” the minister claimed.

He further compared Savarkar's ideology to Mahatma Gandhi's, asserting that Savarkar's views were more aligned with fundamentalism, while Gandhi's were rooted in democratic principles.

Rao also commented on Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who he claimed represented another extreme.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the Congress, saying that Rahul Gandhi was the one who started the series of making such false statements on Savarkar, and now the other Congress leaders are taking his narrative forward.

“These people do not know anything about Savarkar. The insult him again and again,” he said.

#WATCH | Nagpur: On Karnataka Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's statement on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis says, "These people do not know anything about Savarkar. The insult him again and again. Savarkar has expressed his opinion on cows very well. pic.twitter.com/qvr9TrHLGc

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ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2024

BJP MP Anurag Thakur, too, lashed out at the Congress, terming the party as a “factory of lies”. “India will not tolerate the disrespect of Veer Savarkar. Congress never learnt anything from Veer Savarkar who dedicated his life to the nation. By disrespecting Veer Savarkar they have shown that they don't respect freedom fighters,” he told ANI.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam “condemned” Rao’s comment. “Once again the Congress party has made a very low-level comment against Swatantra Veer Savarkar. The comment made by the health minister of Karnataka on Veer Savarkar is completely condemnable, it is an insult to him,” he said.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, reacting to Karnataka minister’s comment said, “Some people full of ignorance try to become knowledgeable. This proves that they have lost their mental balance. Those who try to create confusion about the country's history, culture and great men will neither be accepted by the society nor the country.”

Rao’s statement is “unfortunate, insulting and highly condemnable”, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh told PTI. He alleged it has become a “habit” of the Congress to always insult the freedom fighters and soldiers of the country.

“Kanhaiya Kumar, who raises ‘bharat tere tukde honge’ slogan, is embraced. Red carpet is rolled out for those who consider Afzal Guru (Parliament attack convict) a hero…What kind of ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ Rahul Gandhi has opened where the martyrs and freedom fighters are insulted?” he charged.