If Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut can be believed, then Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra has threatened the unity of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially in the wake of the former Congress president’s criticism of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

A day after his party chief Uddhav Thackeray disagreed with Gandhi’s allegations that Savarkar had begged for mercy and helped the British, Raut said on Friday that the remarks were unwarranted when the yatra was getting an enthusiastic response in the country and Maharashtra in particular. Gandhi had earlier also said that Savarkar was a symbol of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). His remarks triggered protests.