Does Savarkar deserve the Bharat Ratna?
| India Today Insight
The debate on Vir Savarkar flares up again as BJP pitches for Bharat Ratna for the revolutionary and Hindutva ideologue.
Uday Mahurkar
Uday Mahurkar
New Delhi
October 17, 2019UPDATED: October 17, 2019 12:09 IST
BJP President Amit Shah Inaugurates 29th Savarkar Sahitya Sammelan In Mumbai. (Getty Images)
The Maharashtra BJP has promised in its 2019 election manifesto that it would urge the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on the Hindutva ideologue if elected to power. It is obvious that the move couldn't have been planned without the blessings of the party's top brass. Prime Minister Narendra Modi counts Savarkar as one of his idols and Union home minister Amit Shah is an ardent follower of Savarkar. Shah even has an image of the revolutionary in his drawing room. At an election rally in Akola, Maharashtra, on October 16, Modi credited Savarkar's values as being the reason for the BJP's focus on nationalism. The party's national leadership, thus, is seriously considering the idea of bestowing India's highest civilian honour on Savarkar.
However, the Left wing and Muslim lobbies and political parties have stepped up their efforts to deny Savarkar this honour by reviving the three major charges that have been leveled against him since 2003. First and foremost being that Savarkar tendered apologies to the British rulers while imprisoned in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar islands between 1910 and 1920. Second, it was Savarkar and not Mohammed Ali Jinnah who was the progenitor of the two-nation theory that led to the birth of Pakistan and that Muslims and Christians would have been second class citizens in Savarkar's vision of the Hindu Rashtra. Finally, he was an accused in the murder of Gandhi and was let off only on a technicality.
The BJP, on its part, is convinced that all these charges are part of the wider and long-term plan of the Left and the pseudo-secular lobby to defame the Hindutva movement. They feel that based on Savarkar's true contributions, he deserves the Bharat Ratna especially when persons of much lesser note have received it in the past, including the entire Nehru-Gandhi family-Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. "A Bharat Ratna would be an apt recognition of Savarkar's contribution to India as a freedom fighter, social reformer and political visionary," says BJP vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
There is merit in the BJP's move based on hard evidence. Just as Chhattrapati Shivaji fled from the custody of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1666 and changed the course of Indian history, Savarkar, too, had tried to flee British custody soon after being sentenced to 50 years in jail for sedition by a London Court in 1910. While on his way to begin his prison term, he jumped off a British steamer and into the sea on the French coast in a bid to escape, but was rearrested.
The second charge is equally untrue. Disgusted with the Muslim leadership's demands for special rights at the cost of Hindus' rights in the 1930s, he had once said "it appears that two nations exist within one nation in the form of Hindus and Muslims", but he never called for the division of India. On the contrary, he fought to prevent India's partition by the Muslim League. He, in fact, repeatedly warned the Congress between 1937 and 1940 that its Muslim appeasement policies would prove disastrous for the nation as they were being used by the Muslim League to demand more and more concessions for the religious community. Savarkar was, eventually, proved correct.
That Muslims and Christians would have been second class citizens in Savarkar's Hindu Rashtra is also a false narrative according to Savarkar's Hindu Rashtra manifesto, mentioned in Padma Bhushan-winning author Dhananjay Keer's biography of Savarkar titled Veer Savarkar. In this manifesto, Savarkar says every caste and every religion will be treated equally in Hindu Rashtra. He goes a step further and says the government will protect the religious minorities if any one tries to hinder their religious prayers. However, he warns that Hindu Rashtra won't allow a nation within a nation in the name of religious minoritism. In fact, Savarkar's far-sightedness is proved by the fact that minority appeasement has been one of the biggest causes of social conflict in Independent India.
That Savarkar was an accused in the Gandhi's murder is a fact, but it is also true that he was accused at the behest of Jawaharlal Nehru and was let off due to lack of evidence against him. That the Nehru Government didn't appeal in the higher court against Savarkar is further evidence that the case against him was weak. Significantly, after Gandhi's assassination, Savarkar issued a strong statement condemning it: "Mahatma Gandhi's assassination is too shockingI condemn unequivocally such fratricidal crimes whether perpetuated by an individual or by mob frenzy. I appeal to the people to stand by the Central Government of free India and maintain order".
Many leaders of the opposition have alleged that the BJP's move is driven by political consideration, but the award will hardly lead to any additional votes for the BJP. In fact, according to the party, the resolution is driven more by an emotional feeling of reverence for Savarkar. He is seen by the BJP as victim of false propaganda despite his great contribution in diverse areas which have been ignored, like the total lack of knowledge in India of the movement against untouchability that he led in Ratnagiri district between 1924 and 1937. It was one of the most powerful social reform movements in Indian history. During this movement, Savarkar built Patit Pavan Mandir, a Hindu temple in the district and the first ever to allow entry to all Hindus, including Dalits. VR Shinde, a social reformer from Maharashtra, had once said: "Unouchability would have been removed from a large part of the country had Savarkar not joined politics in 1937 and continued with his social reform movement and expanded it."
Congress insulted Savarkar, delayed Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar: PM Modi
Savarkar faced criminal charges: Congress, Owaisi attack BJP's Bharat Ratna push
BJP on Tuesday said that it will push for a Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar. Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi have now launched an attack on BJP over the demand.
ADVERTISEMENT
India Today Web Desk
New Delhi
October 15, 2019UPDATED: October 15, 2019 20:18 IST
Manish Tewari
BJP has said it will push for Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar.
HIGHLIGHTS
BJP has promised to push for the Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar
Congress has slammed BJP saying Savarkar had criminal charges in his name
Owaisi also attacked BJP and said Savarkar looked up to Hitler and was against Muslims
As BJP released its manifesto for the Maharashtra assembly elections and said the party will push for a Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar, Congress launched a scathing attack on the ruling party. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also joined the attack.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "Savarkar had to face criminal trial for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. Kapoor Commission also investigated the charges. In a recent article it was claimed that the Commission had indicted Sarvarkar. God save this country."
Tewari further added, "In this country Gandhi is made to commit suicide anything is possible."
Asaduddin Owaisi
✔
@asadowaisi
· Oct 15, 2019
Some gyaan about this Anmol Ratan:
1 Implicated by Jeevan Lal Commission of Inquiry on Gandhi’s assassination
2 Advocated the use of rape as a political tool
3 Criticised Shivaji for not using rape as a political tool
4 Called himself the British’s “most obedient servant” https://twitter.com/timesofindia/status/1184016687068172288 …
Times of India
✔
@timesofindia
Maharashtra polls: BJP promises 5 crore jobs in 5 years, demands Bharat Ratna for Savarkar
Read: http://toi.in/T0o4FZ/a24gk #MaharashtraAssemblyPolls #BharatRatna
View image on Twitter
Asaduddin Owaisi
✔
@asadowaisi
5 Wrote SIX letters to British requesting release from prison
6 Looked up to Hitler & blamed Jews for the Holocaust
7 Muslims & other non-Hindus are to be kept outside the national fabric
8 Supported the 2 nation theory
1,329
2:16 AM - Oct 15, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
402 people are talking about this
The BJP on Tuesday released its manifesto for the upcoming Maharashtra polls, promising a $1 trillion economy for the state with the creation of five crore jobs in next five years and houses for all by 2022.
In the 'Sankalpapatra' BJP said it will push for Bharat Ratna for VD Savarkar, Jyoti Rao Phule and Savitribai Phule.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also took to Twitter to mock BJP's decision to demand Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar. He said, "Some gyaan about this Anmol Ratan: 1 Implicated by Jeevan Lal Commission of Inquiry on Gandhi’s assassination, 2 Advocated the use of rape as a political tool, 3 Criticised Shivaji for not using rape as a political tool, 4 Called himself the British’s most obedient servant.
| India Today Insight
The debate on Vir Savarkar flares up again as BJP pitches for Bharat Ratna for the revolutionary and Hindutva ideologue.
Uday Mahurkar
Uday Mahurkar
New Delhi
October 17, 2019UPDATED: October 17, 2019 12:09 IST
BJP President Amit Shah Inaugurates 29th Savarkar Sahitya Sammelan In Mumbai. (Getty Images)
The Maharashtra BJP has promised in its 2019 election manifesto that it would urge the Centre to confer Bharat Ratna on the Hindutva ideologue if elected to power. It is obvious that the move couldn't have been planned without the blessings of the party's top brass. Prime Minister Narendra Modi counts Savarkar as one of his idols and Union home minister Amit Shah is an ardent follower of Savarkar. Shah even has an image of the revolutionary in his drawing room. At an election rally in Akola, Maharashtra, on October 16, Modi credited Savarkar's values as being the reason for the BJP's focus on nationalism. The party's national leadership, thus, is seriously considering the idea of bestowing India's highest civilian honour on Savarkar.
However, the Left wing and Muslim lobbies and political parties have stepped up their efforts to deny Savarkar this honour by reviving the three major charges that have been leveled against him since 2003. First and foremost being that Savarkar tendered apologies to the British rulers while imprisoned in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar islands between 1910 and 1920. Second, it was Savarkar and not Mohammed Ali Jinnah who was the progenitor of the two-nation theory that led to the birth of Pakistan and that Muslims and Christians would have been second class citizens in Savarkar's vision of the Hindu Rashtra. Finally, he was an accused in the murder of Gandhi and was let off only on a technicality.
The BJP, on its part, is convinced that all these charges are part of the wider and long-term plan of the Left and the pseudo-secular lobby to defame the Hindutva movement. They feel that based on Savarkar's true contributions, he deserves the Bharat Ratna especially when persons of much lesser note have received it in the past, including the entire Nehru-Gandhi family-Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. "A Bharat Ratna would be an apt recognition of Savarkar's contribution to India as a freedom fighter, social reformer and political visionary," says BJP vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe.
There is merit in the BJP's move based on hard evidence. Just as Chhattrapati Shivaji fled from the custody of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1666 and changed the course of Indian history, Savarkar, too, had tried to flee British custody soon after being sentenced to 50 years in jail for sedition by a London Court in 1910. While on his way to begin his prison term, he jumped off a British steamer and into the sea on the French coast in a bid to escape, but was rearrested.
The second charge is equally untrue. Disgusted with the Muslim leadership's demands for special rights at the cost of Hindus' rights in the 1930s, he had once said "it appears that two nations exist within one nation in the form of Hindus and Muslims", but he never called for the division of India. On the contrary, he fought to prevent India's partition by the Muslim League. He, in fact, repeatedly warned the Congress between 1937 and 1940 that its Muslim appeasement policies would prove disastrous for the nation as they were being used by the Muslim League to demand more and more concessions for the religious community. Savarkar was, eventually, proved correct.
That Muslims and Christians would have been second class citizens in Savarkar's Hindu Rashtra is also a false narrative according to Savarkar's Hindu Rashtra manifesto, mentioned in Padma Bhushan-winning author Dhananjay Keer's biography of Savarkar titled Veer Savarkar. In this manifesto, Savarkar says every caste and every religion will be treated equally in Hindu Rashtra. He goes a step further and says the government will protect the religious minorities if any one tries to hinder their religious prayers. However, he warns that Hindu Rashtra won't allow a nation within a nation in the name of religious minoritism. In fact, Savarkar's far-sightedness is proved by the fact that minority appeasement has been one of the biggest causes of social conflict in Independent India.
That Savarkar was an accused in the Gandhi's murder is a fact, but it is also true that he was accused at the behest of Jawaharlal Nehru and was let off due to lack of evidence against him. That the Nehru Government didn't appeal in the higher court against Savarkar is further evidence that the case against him was weak. Significantly, after Gandhi's assassination, Savarkar issued a strong statement condemning it: "Mahatma Gandhi's assassination is too shockingI condemn unequivocally such fratricidal crimes whether perpetuated by an individual or by mob frenzy. I appeal to the people to stand by the Central Government of free India and maintain order".
Many leaders of the opposition have alleged that the BJP's move is driven by political consideration, but the award will hardly lead to any additional votes for the BJP. In fact, according to the party, the resolution is driven more by an emotional feeling of reverence for Savarkar. He is seen by the BJP as victim of false propaganda despite his great contribution in diverse areas which have been ignored, like the total lack of knowledge in India of the movement against untouchability that he led in Ratnagiri district between 1924 and 1937. It was one of the most powerful social reform movements in Indian history. During this movement, Savarkar built Patit Pavan Mandir, a Hindu temple in the district and the first ever to allow entry to all Hindus, including Dalits. VR Shinde, a social reformer from Maharashtra, had once said: "Unouchability would have been removed from a large part of the country had Savarkar not joined politics in 1937 and continued with his social reform movement and expanded it."
Congress insulted Savarkar, delayed Bharat Ratna to Ambedkar: PM Modi
Savarkar faced criminal charges: Congress, Owaisi attack BJP's Bharat Ratna push
BJP on Tuesday said that it will push for a Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar. Congress and Asaduddin Owaisi have now launched an attack on BJP over the demand.
ADVERTISEMENT
India Today Web Desk
New Delhi
October 15, 2019UPDATED: October 15, 2019 20:18 IST
Manish Tewari
BJP has said it will push for Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar.
HIGHLIGHTS
BJP has promised to push for the Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar
Congress has slammed BJP saying Savarkar had criminal charges in his name
Owaisi also attacked BJP and said Savarkar looked up to Hitler and was against Muslims
As BJP released its manifesto for the Maharashtra assembly elections and said the party will push for a Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar, Congress launched a scathing attack on the ruling party. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also joined the attack.
Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "Savarkar had to face criminal trial for the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. Kapoor Commission also investigated the charges. In a recent article it was claimed that the Commission had indicted Sarvarkar. God save this country."
Tewari further added, "In this country Gandhi is made to commit suicide anything is possible."
Asaduddin Owaisi
✔
@asadowaisi
· Oct 15, 2019
Some gyaan about this Anmol Ratan:
1 Implicated by Jeevan Lal Commission of Inquiry on Gandhi’s assassination
2 Advocated the use of rape as a political tool
3 Criticised Shivaji for not using rape as a political tool
4 Called himself the British’s “most obedient servant” https://twitter.com/timesofindia/status/1184016687068172288 …
Times of India
✔
@timesofindia
Maharashtra polls: BJP promises 5 crore jobs in 5 years, demands Bharat Ratna for Savarkar
Read: http://toi.in/T0o4FZ/a24gk #MaharashtraAssemblyPolls #BharatRatna
View image on Twitter
Asaduddin Owaisi
✔
@asadowaisi
5 Wrote SIX letters to British requesting release from prison
6 Looked up to Hitler & blamed Jews for the Holocaust
7 Muslims & other non-Hindus are to be kept outside the national fabric
8 Supported the 2 nation theory
1,329
2:16 AM - Oct 15, 2019
Twitter Ads info and privacy
402 people are talking about this
The BJP on Tuesday released its manifesto for the upcoming Maharashtra polls, promising a $1 trillion economy for the state with the creation of five crore jobs in next five years and houses for all by 2022.
In the 'Sankalpapatra' BJP said it will push for Bharat Ratna for VD Savarkar, Jyoti Rao Phule and Savitribai Phule.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also took to Twitter to mock BJP's decision to demand Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar. He said, "Some gyaan about this Anmol Ratan: 1 Implicated by Jeevan Lal Commission of Inquiry on Gandhi’s assassination, 2 Advocated the use of rape as a political tool, 3 Criticised Shivaji for not using rape as a political tool, 4 Called himself the British’s most obedient servant.
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