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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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."
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."
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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