Rahul Gandhi Raises Alarm Over Threats After Savarkar Remarks, Godse’s Family Responds

Rahul Gandhi Cites Threat to Life in Savarkar Defamation Case, Points to Godse Link.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday told a Pune court he faces a threat to his life from the complainant in a defamation case over his remarks on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

In an application filed through advocate Milind Pawar, Gandhi said he has “grave apprehensions” about his safety due to recent political issues and past comments on Savarkar. He alleged that the complainant, Satyaki Savarkar, is a direct descendant of Nathuram and Gopal Godse, linked to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, and that there is a “documented history of violence and anti-constitutional tendencies” associated with that lineage.

The plea warned of a “bona fide apprehension” that Satyaki Savarkar could exploit the current political climate to influence proceedings, noting that “followers of the complainant’s late so-called grandfather” are in power. Gandhi also cited alleged threats from BJP leaders Ravneet Singh Bittu and Tarvinder Singh Marwah over his “vote chori” remarks.

The defamation case stems from Gandhi’s November 17, 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra speech in Akola, where he allegedly called Savarkar a “British servant” who received a colonial pension. Satyaki Savarkar has submitted a CD and transcript of the speech as evidence.