\"It will take him many lives to be like Savarkar\": Giriraj Singh hits back at Rahul

Muzaffarpur (Bihar): Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Veer Savarkar, BJP leader Giriraj Singh on Saturday attacked Rahul Gandhi, saying that "it will take him many lives to be like Savarkar".

Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as an MP after being convicted in the criminal defamation case over the 'Modi surname' remark, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said, "My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi. Gandhis don't apologise to anyone".

Responding to his remarks, Giriraj Singh, took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, and said, "He is saying that he is Gandhi, but he should specify which 'Gandhi' he is? The Gandhi that his grandfather was?"

"If he hadn't disrespected the court, and had apologised, then this would not have happened," Singh added.

Further attacking the former MP, the BJP leader said, "Savarkar had sacrificed himself for the nation, it's wrong to compare himself with him. It will take Rahul Gandhi many lives to be like Savarkar".

On Friday, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha, a day after a Surat court sentenced him to two years imprisonment in a defamation case filed against him over his 'Modi surname' remark.

The decision came pertaining to his remark made in April 2019, where he had said "how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname" at a Lok Sabha election rally at Kolar in Karnataka. The court approved Gandhi's bail on a surety and stayed the sentence for 30 days to allow him to approach the higher courts.

After being convicted in the defamation case and subsequently disqualified from Lok Sabha, Gandhi, while addressing a press conference said that he is not scared of going to prison and his disqualification from Parliament was aimed at distracting people from the Adani issue.

"Moot question remains who invested Rs 20,000 crore in Adani shell firms? I will keep asking the question," he said.

The former MP alleged that the BJP-led central government is allegedly protecting businessman Gautam Adani, who has been accused of stock manipulation.

"Why is the BJP-led Centre protecting the businessman Gautam Adani? Kyuki aap hi Adani ho," he alleged.

Attacking PM Modi, he said, "Prime Minister was scared of the next speech that was going to come on Adani. I have seen it in his eyes. That is why, first the distraction and then the disqualification".

The BJP meanwhile, doubled down on Rahul Gandhi with former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad stating that the Congress leader was facing the heat for his speech in 2019. "Today he said that 'I speak thoughtfully' which means whatever Rahul Gandhi said in 2019, it was spoken thoughtfully," Prasad said in a press conference in Patna.