Rahul Gandhi Flags Threat to Safety Amid Defamation Case Over Savarkar Remarks

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has raised concerns that he may be targeted or falsely implicated due to his recent political stance and the background of the complainant in the defamation case filed against him. The statement was made in an application submitted to a Pune court during ongoing proceedings in a criminal defamation case related to Gandhi’s comments about Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

The case was filed by Satyaki Savarkar, a descendant of the Savarkar family, after Gandhi referred to an alleged incident in Savarkar’s writings during a speech in London in March 2023. In that speech, Gandhi claimed Savarkar and others had once assaulted a Muslim man and “derived pleasure” from it. The complainant has rejected the claim, saying no such incident exists in Savarkar’s work and calling Gandhi’s remarks defamatory.

In the court filing, Gandhi’s lawyer, Advocate Milind Pawar, pointed to threats and inflammatory statements made by BJP leaders as cause for concern. Pawar cited BJP MP RN Bittu calling Gandhi a “terrorist,” and claimed that another BJP leader, Tarvinder Marwah, issued an open warning, saying Gandhi should “behave well or he might meet the same fate as his grandmother,” a reference to the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The application also raises questions about Satyaki Savarkar’s lineage, linking him to individuals associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse. Pawar argued that this background carries a legacy of “violent and anti-constitutional tendencies,” and could be used to target Gandhi for his political views—especially as he continues to oppose ideologies rooted in Hindutva.

“There is a real and reasonable apprehension that Rahul Gandhi could face harm or false implication at the hands of individuals aligned with the ideology of Savarkar,” the application stated, according to LiveLaw. It added that while Gandhi has full faith in the judiciary, the court must remain mindful of the larger political context and possible external pressures.

The plea further alleged that proponents of this ideology have a history of stirring caste and religious tensions, undermining democratic processes, and using unconstitutional means to gain political power. It emphasized that Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, is a vocal critic of such practices and a defender of the rights of the marginalised—making him a likely target for politically motivated retaliation.