From Savarkar slurs to ‘maafi’ meltdowns, the prince of political fantasy just can’t seem to leave facts alone. Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party’s eternal hope and perennial liability, was back in court recently – not as an aggrieved citizen, but as the accused in yet another defamation case.
This time, he had gone after Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, calling him ‘Maafi Veer’, implying the freedom fighter wrote mercy petitions and was on the British payroll. Unfortunately for Rahul Baba, the Supreme Court was not in the mood for fiction.
In an exchange that must have made even his cheerleaders wince, the bench turned the spotlight back on his understanding of history. If Savarkar is to be judged by the letters he wrote from jail, the court said, what about Mahatma Gandhi, who signed off as ‘your faithful servant’ in every other letter to the Viceroy? The judges even reminded Rahul’s counsel that Indira Gandhi – the grandmother whose legacy he cherry-picks – had praised Savarkar in a glowing letter. At this point, Rahul’s team of legal wizards could only resort to their classic defence: selective amnesia.
Inventing ‘new facts’
The Congress party’s in-house lie factory has long worked overtime to churn out ‘truths’ to suit the script. Remember the 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra where Rahul claimed that India ‘never really had a nationhood before 1947’? Or the time he said China had taken over 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory, only to be fact-checked by satellite imagery, maps, and common sense? We must admire the party’s consistency. They never let reality get in the way of a good narrative.
A masterclass in reverse patriotism
Rahul’s obsession with Savarkar is not ideological, it is theatrical. After all, it is easier to rewrite history than to read it. Never mind that Veer Savarkar spent years in the Cellular Jail while Rahul once claimed that he and his sister ‘faced more suffering’ than any Indian politician. He thinks trauma is hereditary.
How can we forget the Rafale theatrics, where he parroted ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ like it was gospel – until the Supreme Court dismissed the allegations. Or the time he demanded proof of the Balakot airstrike, as if Indian defence operations are his family WhatsApp group.
Selective outrage
Of course, no RaGa (I don’t mean Indian musical note) performance is complete without taking potshots at India from abroad. Be it in London, New York, or Strasbourg, he never misses a chance to moan about the ‘death of democracy’ back home. Ironically, his complaints are usually filed just before boarding business class flights funded by the same system he denounces.
When grilled, his defence is as predictable as his speeches: he is being targeted for ‘speaking the truth’. Perhaps that is what Congress defines as truth these days – half-cooked, misquoted, and always conveniently timed.
Real India rolls its eyes
While Rahul baba crafts his next punchline against the establishment, the rest of India gets on with the tiresome business of reality-like elections, governance, and jobs. In that reality, Savarkar is a freedom fighter, whether Rahul likes it or not. Mahatma Gandhi did call himself a faithful servant, and courts do demand evidence, not vibes.
But then, the Gandhi scion has never really operated in the real world. Why start now? Let the Congress social media team upload another ‘fact-check’. India’s Supreme Court has already done one for free.
