Karnataka Minister's 'Non-Vegetarian' Remarks On Veer Savarkar Ignites BJP Backlash

Karnataka Health Minister and Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao has reportedly ignited a debate on social media with his recent statement on Veer Savarkar. While speaking at the book launch of 'Gandhi's Assassin: The Making of Nathuram Godse and His Idea of India (Kannada Version)' by journalist Dhirendra K Jha, Rao said, "Veer Savarkar was not a non-veg eater and he never opposed cow slaughter."

Rao further remarked, "As a Brahmin, Savarkar consumed meat, and he openly propagated it too." He was a Brahmin with modern thinking but with different fundamental thoughts but Gandhiji was a believer of Hinduism yet democratic in his actions, Rao said.

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VIDEO | "Savarkar was a non-veg eater and he was not against cow slaughter. As a Brahmin he was eating meat, and he was openly propagating eating meat," said Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) speaking during an event in #Bengaluru.

(Source: Third Party)… pic.twitter.com/q2uXdZn6hP

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 3, 2024

His statements have provoked sharp reactions from BJP leaders who have criticized Rao for attempting to distort facts about historical figures.

On Congress leader Rao's statement, BJP MP Jagdish Shettar said, "It has become a fashion for Congress leaders to criticise Veer Savarkar for minority appeasement."

It has become a fashion for Cong leaders to criticise Savarkar for minority appeasement: Jagdish Shettar on Dinesh Gundu Rao's statement

Edited video is available on PTI Videos (https://t.co/L2D7HH309u) #PTINewsAlerts #PTIVideos @PTI_News pic.twitter.com/CPXjRnPG9Z

— PTI News Alerts (@PTI_NewsAlerts) October 3, 2024

On Rao's 'Savarkar's was a non-veg eater' remark, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "These people don't know anything about Veer Savarkar. They disrespect Savarkar from time to time. These people are taking forward Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's wrong statements about Savarkar."

VIDEO | Here's what Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) said on Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao's 'Savarkar was a non-veg eater' remark.

"These people know nothing about Savarkar. They disrespect Savarkar every time. Rahul Gandhi had started giving… pic.twitter.com/IHgjxt8S7U

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 3, 2024

Amid the ongoing heated controversy over Gandhi-Savarkar remarks, Congress Leader Rao said, "It was a very healthy discussion that we had on Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. 

He further stated that his observations were based on 'how Gandhi was a deeply religious man and Savarkar was an atheist.'

How Gandhiji was a vegetarian and believed in religion but Savarkar ate non-veg and was a modernist, he remarked.

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