Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, May 29: In a bold move during a defamation case hearing, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has alleged a familial connection between Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse. Gandhi made this claim in a written submission to a Pune MP/MLA court, where he is facing a defamation suit filed by Satyaki Savarkar, a descendant of Vinayak Savarkar.

According to the affidavit, Gandhi accused Satyaki of deliberately omitting key details about his maternal lineage. He asserted that Satyaki’s mother, Himani, is the daughter of Gopal Godse, Nathuram Godse’s brother, linking the complainant to the Godse family. “The complainant systematically and cleverly avoided disclosing this crucial fact,” Gandhi stated, arguing that such concealment amounts to misleading the court.

The plea, filed through advocate Milind Pawar, emphasized the importance of full disclosure in evaluating the case. Gandhi’s legal team argued that this omission could justify the dismissal of the case or denial of relief, citing it as a form of “fraud on the court.”

Gandhi’s submission also revisits the historical context, asserting that Savarkar and Godse both advocated the concept of a Hindu Rashtra and were proponents of Hindu-Muslim separation well before India’s partition. Referencing Savarkar’s speeches and writings from 1937 and 1943, Gandhi argued that Savarkar’s ideology played a role in laying the foundation for communal division.

The application highlights Savarkar’s controversial positions, including his support for reducing Muslim representation in the military and banning Muslims from working in sensitive sectors like munitions. Citing Savarkar’s 1963 book Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History, Gandhi pointed to the author’s inflammatory views, including advocacy of sexual violence as a political weapon and the forced conversion of Muslim women—remarks that have long been the subject of historical and political debate.

Furthermore, Gandhi defended his earlier remarks made in London, where he referenced Savarkar's own writings about an incident involving violence against a Muslim youth, arguing it was not defamatory but based on public records.

Special Judge Amol Shinde has asked the complainant, Satyaki Savarkar, to respond to these explosive claims. The case continues to stir political and historical controversy, reviving decades-old ideological debates between proponents of secular nationalism and right-wing Hindutva politics.