'Gadkari-Vivekananda row similar to Advani-Jinnah issue'

Bharatiya Janata Party's oldest ally Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that while the party's senior leader L K Advani "lost ground" due to the controversy over his remarks on Jinnah, similarly Nitin Gadkari has been jolted because of his remark on Swami Vivekananda .

"Advani lost ground over his Jinnah remarks and Gadkari has been jolted because of the Swami Vivekananda comments row," Sena chief Bal Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna.

In 2005, Advani's description of Mohammed Ali Jinnah as a "secular" leader during his visit to Pakistan created a controversy in India, following which he had resigned as the BJP president.

"Even Gadkari must be doubtful about whether RSS would stand by him over his remarks on the IQ of Swami Vivekananda and Dawood Ibrahim," he said.

"Gadkari has clarified that he has not equated Vivekananda with Dawood. But not a single leader of his party has taken cudgels on his behalf," Thackeray said.

"Gadkari's condition is like sukh ke sab saathi, dukh mein na koi (everyone to share happiness but no one to share sorrow)," the editorial said.

Thackeray had earlier defended Gadkari, who has been accused of receiving illegal favours in land allotment from Maharashtra's ruling Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government.

"The allegations against Gadkari are as barren as the land he took (on lease from government)," Thackeray had said.

On Ram Jethmalani demanding the resignation of Gadkari in the wake of allegations of dubious funding of his company, Thackeray said, "Everyone knows the proximity between Jethmalani and (Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi, and also the strained ties between Modi and Gadkari."