Nagpur | Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for insulting late Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar and claimed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once "apologised" to get released from jail.
Amid demands by the Bharatiya Janata Party that he apologise for insulting Other Backward Classes with his Modi surname and thieves remark, for which he was convicted by a court and as a result disqualified as Lok Sabha MP, Rahul Gandhi had shot back saying "my name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone".
Speaking at the Lokmat National Media Conclave on the topic 'Is Indian Media Completely Polarised?' the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting said Rahul Gandhi can never become Savarkar as it called for immense sacrifice and hardships in jail.
"If you cannot respect somebody, at least don't insult them. Gandhi claims he does not apologise but is moving court (in appeal against the March 23 Surat court order sentencing him to two years in jail in a defamation case that resulted in his disqualification as Lok Sabha MP)," Thakur said.
Hitting out at Gandhi further, Thakur claimed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first prime minister and the former's great grandfather, had submitted a bond to get out of jail after being arrested for an agitation post the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Punjab.
Thakur claimed the hardships at Nabha Jail made Nehru write an "apology" letter stating he would not return to the region to take part in any agitation.
As per a plaque at Nabha Jail, Nehru, K Santanam and AT Gidwani were arrested on September 22, 1923 for entering the princely state of Nabha.
Thakur also taunted Gandhi over his "never apologise" remarks and pointed out he had apologised to the Supreme Court in 2018 (for his chowkidar chor hai remark).
The conclave was organised to mark the birth centenary of freedom fighter and Lokmat Media Group founder Jawaharlal Darda, fondly known as 'Babuji', as well as the golden jubilee of the Lokmat Nagpur edition.