After former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, another Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi has acknowledged Veer Savarkar’s role in Indian Freedom Struggle.
Bengaluru: Nothing seems to be working right for the Congress. Just days before the states of Haryana and Maharashtra were to go for polls, former Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar resigned over ticket distribution. And in Maharashtra, another senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam was not happy with the way the party conducted itself.
When the Maharashtra BJP released its manifesto, it promised to look into the issue of awarding Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar, a freedom fighter who was lodged in Andaman jail. This led to a brouhaha with Congress openly calling him an accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. While many members of the Congress went hammer and tongs, there seems to be a change in position over the tall Hindu leader.
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First, it was former PM Manmohan Singh who said, “We are not against Savarkar ji but the question is, we're not in favour of the Hindutva ideology that Savarkar ji patronised and stood for."
Now another leader Abhishek Singhvi has joined Manmohan in softening the Congress’s party stance on the issue.
I personally don't subscribe to Savarkar's ideology but that doesn't take away the fact that he was an accomplished man who played part in our freedom struggle, flights for Dalit rights and went to jail for the country.
— Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi)
Perhaps, the change in Congress’s stance stems from the fact that Indira Gandhi herself had praised Veer Savarkar for his contributions to the Indian Freedom Struggle. A letter, in which, she purportedly praises the leader and called him a “remarkable leader” is doing the rounds on social media. This letter is dated May 20, 1980.
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There are several allegations against Savarkar, including the fact that he apologised to the British for his release and played a role in Gandhiji’s assassination.
To counter these allegations, it has been pointed out that Savarkar did seek amnesty, but never apologised for his actions.
After release, he is said to have fought caste divisions, untouchability in Hinduism. It is said Ambedkar and Subhash Chandra Bose were in praise of Savarkar for his efforts to eradicate social evils.
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