Bawankule slams Karnataka's Cong govt for plan to remove Savarkar portrait; seeks Uddhav's response
Mumbai, Dec 9: Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday slammed the Congress government in neighbouring Karnataka for deciding to remove the portrait of Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar from the Legislative Assembly there.
History will never forgive those who insult the legacy of Savarkar, who had endured immense suffering for the country's independence, Bawankule asserted.
"The decision of the Congress-led government in Karnataka to remove the portrait of Savarkar is highly condemnable and an insult of country's freedom movement," he said on social media platform X.
This was the Congress' attempt to undermine the sacrifices, pain and ideology of Savarkar.
"It directly insults his legacy and the ideals he stood for," Bawankule said, and asked if Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray would remain silent or speak up over this act of his party's ally.
Thackeray, who has abandoned Hindutva for political gain, has shown disregard for Savarkar's ideals by aligning with the Congress, he claimed.
This is why Thackeray's party is being called "Tipu Sena", Bawankule said.
Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysuru, who lost his life in a battle against the British in 1799, is a polarising figure who is hailed as a fearless freedom fighter by his supporters, while his detractors condemn him as a zealot who persecuted Hindus.
"Those who insult Savarkar and his legacy, like the Congress and their allies, will never be forgiven by history," Bawankule said.
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SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
