A day after he thanked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi profusely for telephoning him in the midst of “Bharat Jodo Yatra” to enquire about his health, Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said on Tuesday that his party’s alliance with the Congress would “survive” despite its differences with the latter over Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar for the sake of the country.

“An alliance runs on compromise. Our party differs with the Congress over its Hindutva ideology and Savarkar. But we have to continue in the alliance (with the Congress) for the sake of the country. If we have to save democracy, we should forget our differences and come together” Raut said.

“There is no difference in our ideology. We left the BJP, not our Hindutva ideology. We may not be in agreement with the Congress on every issue. There are some issues on which the Shiv Sena cannot compromise, and our party is clear on it,” he told NDTV.

Averring that his party would never compromise on Hindutva or Veer Savarkar, Raut said, “He admitted that his party would always differ with the Congress over its Hindutva ideology and Savarkar. At the same time,  Rahul, while addressing a big rally in Maharashtra after this Veer Savarkar row, remained silent on Savarkar.”

“Savarkar spent over 10 years in the Andaman jail. Only those who have experienced jail can know what it is like. Many agree with Savarkar’s ideology, many don’t. But those who are no longer alive to defend themselves...whether Savarkar or Nehru or Sardar Patel or Netaji Subhash Bose... it is not right to go back in time and twist history,” Raut said.

Through a series of tweets and during his interaction with the media, Raut had on Monday said, “He (Rahul) is very busy in the ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra. Yet, he personally called me to ask about my health. He said he was worried about my health which had deteriorated during my time in jail.”

“Considering the kind of bitterness that has crept in politics today, Rahul is the  person who, despite political differences, keeps the bonds of friendship and affection alive… Hence, his Bharat Jodo yatra, which is based on love and compassion, is getting such a tremendous response,” Raut said.