The gaffe was spotted in Kerala’s Ernakulum district in the backdrop of Congress’s constant denial of Savarkar’s freedom fighter status claimed by the BJP.
New Delhi: Amid the Rahul Gandhi-led ambitious Bharat Jodo Yatra, the Congress found itself in a tight spot when a party poster was spotted sporting V D Savarkar or Veer Savarkar’s photo in a line-up of freedom fighters. While Congress scampered to call it a “printing mistake”, the BJP was quick to cash in on and say “better late than never”.
The gaffe was spotted in Kerala’s Ernakulum district in the backdrop of Congress’s constant denial of Savarkar’s freedom fighter status claimed by the BJP. What is more surprising is that nobody in the Congress noticed the mistake. It was only after Kerala’s Independent MLA P V Anwar, who is supported by the Left Democratic Front, pointed out the mistake did Congress workers cover Savarkar’s portion with a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi.
In a statement, the Congress party said, “It was a printing mistake.” The party clarified that the brief to the printers was to put together a poster with photos of freedom fighters. “They went online and made the posters with what was available without cross checking,” the party said.
The Congress also accepted that once the mistake was identified, the party workers covered it with Gandhi’s photo.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which considers Savarkar to be a hero, was quick to take advantage of the mistake. Taking to Twitter, BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya said, “Veer Savarkar’s pictures adorn Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ernakulum (near airport). Although belated, good realisation for Rahul Gandhi, whose great grandfather Nehru, signed a mercy petition, pleaded the British to allow him to flee from Punjab’s Nabha jail in just 2 weeks.”
