Congress Seva Dal’s article on Veer Savarkar

sparks fresh row

Veer Savarkar has remained a controversial figure in Indian politics. Vinayak

Damodar Savarkar or more commonly known as Veer Savarkar was an Indian
independence activist, lawyer, politician and a writer who formulated the
Hindutva philosophy.

Last month, Rahul Gandhi while taking a jibe at Veer Savarkar, refused to
apologize for his ‘Rape in India’ remark, where he stated that he is not
Savarkar to apologize for something which is right. It was after this that
attempts to vilify Savarkar intensified and the critics went to an extent so as to
call his clemency petitions as ‘apology letters.’

NPR row: Did Arundhati Roy make an irresponsible statement

In reality, nowhere did Savarkar ‘apologize’ in the clemency petitions that he
wrote. After reading the petitions, would one realize that there is not so much
as a “sorry” in the petitions. This can be corroborated by the note, dated
November 23, 1913, written by Home Member Sir Reginald Craddock to
Governor-General. An excerpt from the note reads:

Savarkar’s petition is one for mercy. He cannot be said to express any regret

or repentance, but he affects to have changed his views, urging that the
hopeless condition of Indians in 1906-1907 was his excuse for entering upon
a conspiracy.

Savarkar showed no repentance but instead argued that his views had
changed and that he would renounce the revolutionary activism and adopt
peaceful methods if he were to be released. Revolutionaries and political
prisoners, like Nand Gopal, Barindra Ghosh (brother of Aurobindo),
Sachindranath Sanyal, etc, wrote similar petitions. In fact, Sachin Sanyal was
released after he submitted his petition, but Savarkar was not. Sanyal wrote
about it in his memoir:

“Why was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar not released but I was, although I wrote
almost the same petition as him?”

Now, Savarkar’s promise of “loyalty to the English government” in the petition

might raise a few eyebrows. Firstly, it was common for revolutionaries to make
such promises. Secondly, it ought to be mentioned that the British government
too was aware that the revolutionaries didn’t keep this promise of loyalty to the
government after their release.

CAA Stir, How Citizens are resisting the controversial act

Lastly, the most common argument of the critics is that Savarkar wrote mercy
petitions to save his life while other revolutionaries chose not to. This is
absolutely false. There are innumerable examples of different revolutionaries
convicted in different cases who submitted petitions. Writing petitions was a
norm, a legal option, and Savarkar was neither the first nor the last to make
use of that option.

The contemporary accounts and the government reports are enough to give
the lie to the myth that Savarkar “apologized” and turned a “British stooge” in
exchange for his release. Similarly, contrary to the belief that he propagated
the two-nation theory, records show that Veer Savarkar, indeed, opposed the
creation of Pakistan or a nation within a nation on the basis of religion.

Constitution and Democracy! Are we really following the boundaries

Savarkar was the first political leader to daringly set Independence as India’s
goal in 1900, which was accepted much later by the Congress in its Lahore
session in 1929. He worked relentlessly on abolishing the caste system. One
must also not forget, that once Indira Gandhi, herself called Savarkar, the
‘Byword of patriotism and courage.’

However, the Congress Party, its president Rahul Gandhi and others of the
‘secularist’ school of thought have repeatedly insulted the great revolutionary
and freedom fighter Swatantryaveer Savarkar. Time and again the Congress
party and few like A G Noorani, have tried to hold Savarkar guilty in the
murder of Mahatma Gandhi despite the fact that Savarkar was acquitted
"honourably and without blemish" on February 10, 1949. Last year, Rajasthan
Congress government removed "veer" from references to VD Savarkar from
its textbooks.

In the latest development, the All India Congress Seva Dal stirred controversy
with a booklet in which it claimed that the freedom fighter and Hindu
Mahasabha co-founder Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was in a “​homosexual
relationship​” with sage Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse. The
Hindi book, titled “Veer Savarkar, Kitne ‘Veer’?” (How brave was `Veer’
Savarkar?) was distributed at an ongoing camp of the Seva Dal in Bhopal.

This has infuriated the BJP further, the party which had demanded Bharat
Ratna for Hindutva ideologue in its election manifesto for ​Maharashtra
Assembly election​, held last year. The BJP has asked Shiv Sena’s stance on
this issue. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha, was quoted as saying, "Shiv
Sena must listen to Congress' views on Savarkar and decide if they should
remain in such an alliance or not." Earlier, ​Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut​ in one
of his tweets said that the name Savarkar denotes pride regarding nation and
self. Raut further added that, Veer Savarkar is an idol of the whole country
and not just Maharashtra.

Leave aside party lines, malicious attempts to malign the image of any
freedom fighter, whether Veer Savarkar or someone else is utterly shameful
for those involved in such acts and those who support them. Different
ideologies co-exist in a diverse country such as India.

Badmouthing Veer Savarkar just because he shared a different ideology,

displays a narrow mindset. It is sheer dishonesty on the part of our political
figures, to paint a freedom fighter as a “British apologist”, only to suit their
socio-political agenda. It is extremely important for the opposition leaders and
especially Rahul Gandhi, to mull over, whether Indira Gandhi had once
eulogized a ‘traitor’, ‘coward’ and a man complicit in Mahatma Gandhi’s
murder.

Read More

कां ेस िज ना को आदश मानती है इस लए सावरकर को गाल दे ती है - ग रराज

राहुल के सावरकर वाले बयान पर वज ने कसा तंज

सावरकर: मायावती ने पछ
ू ा- अब भी शवसेना के साथ य कां ेस?

Source:
https://molitics.in/article/628/Congress-Seva-Dals-article-on-Veer-Savarkar-sparks-fresh-row