Union minister Nitin Gadkari has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and said no one has the right to insult him.
Rahul Gandhi should realise that he insulted the Hindutva icon due to some misunderstanding, Mr Gadkari said addressing a gathering organised as part of the 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' at Shankar Nagar in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the former Congress president should show a big heart and tender an apology for his "crime".
"Who has given him the right to insult Savarkar? No one will tolerate insult of Savarkar," Mr Gadkari maintained.
Mr Gadkari, speaking in a lighter vein, thanked Mr Gandhi for giving the BJP an opportunity to make the country's youth aware about Savarkar's life and message through the yatra.
The former Congress chief has constantly targeted Savarkar by raking up the issue of his mercy plea. His latest attack came last month following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha when he said, "My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone."
The BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have organised 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatras' in the state to honour the Hindutva ideologue and counter Mr Gandhi's criticism against him.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Nitin Gadkari Hints At Next Big Idea For Road Building In Monsoons "We Will Not Spare You": Nitin Gadkari Warns Contractors Over Poor Roads 'Hooda And Company' Spreading Lies About Agniveer Scheme: Amit Shah In Haryana 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel 'Pager Bombs' Target Hezbollah In Lebanon. What We Know So Far - 5 Points IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport Air India To Give $400 Million Makeover To Over Half Of Its Fleet Nitin Gadkari Hints At Next Big Idea For Road Building In Monsoons US Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs Charged With Racketeering, Sex Trafficking Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.