Just when it appeared that Congress scion Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra seemed to be gathering steam as it entered Maharashtra earlier this month, the march’s protagonist fired an unnecessary salvo against the hero of the right wing, Veer Savarkar, derailing any momentum the initiative might have gained so far.

Neutral observers threw their hands up in despair, wondering why Gandhi would attack Savarkar in his birth state. But it doesn’t really take a genius to figure out that the Congress leader meant what he said, and meant to say it where he did. His comment provided enough ammunition for the BJP, which has bestowed upon itself the position of protector of Hindu culture and pride, to push back with all guns blazing.