Congress Must Reclaim Saffron, Says Prithviraj Chavan Amid ‘Saffron Terror’ Debate

Rapid summary

• Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan appealed to his party leaders not to term terror as “saffron terror.” He emphasized that the saffron color is revered by 14 crore Maharashtrians due to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,not political affiliations.
• Criticizing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ claim that there is no Hindutva or saffron terrorism, Chavan questioned past cases like Nathuram Godse and recent acts in Manipur.He stated that while terror has no color, incidents must be addressed.
• Chavan accused the current government of failing justice for victims of major terror attacks such as the 7/11 train blasts and Malegaon blast cases where acquittals have occurred. He urged the government to appeal thes verdicts for accountability.
• As CM before 2014, he proposed banning Sanatan Sanstha under UAPA but did not elaborate further on outcomes or acceptance at the Center.
• Chavan questioned a former ATS officer’s statement about being asked to arrest RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat post-Malegaon blasts, calling its timing suspicious and credibility weak.

Indian Opinion Analysis

Prithviraj Chavan’s remarks reflect broader concerns about defining terrorism without politicization or color association. His distinction between reverence for saffron history versus misuse in modern narratives aligns wiht public sentiments tied deeply to historical figures like Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra’s cultural identity.

Chavan’s questioning of legal responses in cases related to malegaon blasts highlights systemic gaps in delivering justice timely for affected communities but also poses challenges on accountability backlogs if truth chases/national sentiment-neutral courts weighed mandate flattteredlater agreed even prev manageable later retro viewed layers seeming wrinkle

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