BJP Workers Storm Pune Congress Office Over Rahul Gandhi's Savarkar Remark

Several BJP workers barged into the Congress party's Pune city headquarters today and attempted to blacken the photographs of party leader Rahul Gandhi to protest his remarks on late Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, police said.

The protesters shouted slogans against Mr Gandhi and stuck posters with the message "Maafiveer (mercy seeker) Jawaharlal Nehru" on the walls of Congress Bhavan, an official from Shivaji Nagar police said.

"We detained 10 to 15 workers from the premises of Congress Bhavan," inspector Arvind Mane said.

One of the members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the BJP's youth wing, said they came to the Congress Bhavan to condemn Mr Gandhi's remarks against Savarkar.

"We doubt if [Rahul] Gandhi knows the Congress' history because late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had given 'sanmaan patra' (citation) to Savarkar," he said.

During a press conference at Wadegaon village in Akola district on Thursday, Mr Gandhi had criticised Savarkar alleging that he had helped the British rulers and written a mercy petition to them out of fear.

The Congress leader had also earlier said that Savarkar was a symbol of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His remarks have triggered protests.

Meanwhile, Pune police have registered a complaint against two Congress workers after they wrote "maafiveer" on a board at Savarkar's memorial in Swargate area today.

"The Congress workers allegedly wrote 'maafiveer' on a board at the Savarkar Smarak, located near Sarasbaug in Swargate area," said senior inspector Ashok Indalkar.

Meanwhile, the BJP's Pune unit said that in view of the incident, they would "cleanse" the Savarkar Smarak with milk.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)