A day after Congress scion Rahul Gandhi distorted the 7-decade-old iconic poem ‘Veer Tum Badhe Chalo’, written by Dwarika Prasad Maheshwari, for furthering his political agenda amidst the ongoing farmer protests, the kin of the poet has demanded an apology from him.
In his tweet on Sunday, Rahul Gandhi had changed three lines of the poem to suit the current political narrative surrounding the historic farm laws. “Be it water guns or a thousand jackals, farmers must go ahead (with the movement),” he distorted the poem.
As per reports, the family members of the celebrated poet criticised Rahul Gandhi for mocking the true spirit of the poem and demanded an apology. This included Dr Vinod Kumar Maheshwari, son of Dwarka Prasad Maheshwari and former principal of Agra College. He said that a generation of Indian citizens have been inspired by his father’s poem. “The distortion is an injustice to the soul of the late poet,” Dr Vinod said. He added, “Rahul Gandhi has made fun of such an iconic poem. It is highly condemnable and you must apologise for this.”
At the same time, Dr Pranjal Maheshwari, the grandson of Dwarka Prasad Maheshwari, also criticised Rahul Gandhi’s act and corrected him. He said, “It is high time that you learn the poem by heart. The lines you have added are not correct.”
The family members of the poet have stated that by sharing the distorted version to further his political goals, Rahul Gandhi has mocked and insulted the spirit of the poem.