Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has stated that the police will take appropriate action against right-wing activist Sambhaji Bhide for his alleged derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi. Bhide was booked by Rajapeth police in Amravati after he reportedly made comments about the lineage of Gandhi during an event on Thursday.
Fadnavis condemned Bhide’s statement, emphasizing that Mahatma Gandhi is the Father of the Nation and a revered figure in the freedom struggle. He deemed such comments unacceptable and assured that the insult to the Mahatma would not be tolerated.
While Bhide runs an independent organization called Shri Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan and has no affiliation with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Fadnavis urged opposition parties not to politicize the issue. He also called on the Congress to criticize Rahul Gandhi for his remarks against late VD Savarkar, a Hindutva ideologue.
The Congress has demanded Bhide’s arrest and the filing of sedition charges against him. Leaders from the party, including Balasaheb Thorat, Prithviraj Chavan, and state unit chief Nana Patole, have raised the issue in the Assembly. Patole claimed that Bhide has ties to the BJP-RSS and is being shielded by them. Additionally, he announced that the Congress would hold protests across the state if Bhide is not arrested after the Monsoon session of the Assembly concludes on August 4.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s lenient approach, according to Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto, has emboldened Bhide to make offensive statements regularly.
Meanwhile, some of Bhide’s supporters staged a protest in Amravati against Congress MLA and former minister Yashomati Thakur for allegedly making objectionable comments about the right-wing activist. The protesters lodged a complaint with the police, seeking legal action against Thakur.
The situation is unfolding, and it remains to be seen how authorities will handle the case against Sambhaji Bhide.
