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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Delayed Honour

India’s arguments about history rarely stay in the past and few figures provoke them as reliably as ‘Swatantryaveer’ Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. While Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks that conferring the Bharat Ratna posthumously on Savarkar would enhance the award’s prestige predictably unsettled the Congress, he was essentially giving voice to a belief already shared by many Indians. The surprise lies not in the demand itself, but in the persistence of the...

Delayed Honour

India’s arguments about history rarely stay in the past and few figures provoke them as reliably as ‘Swatantryaveer’ Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. While Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remarks that conferring the Bharat Ratna posthumously on Savarkar would enhance the award’s prestige predictably unsettled the Congress, he was essentially giving voice to a belief already shared by many Indians. The surprise lies not in the demand itself, but in the persistence of the Congress, whose leaders have spent a lifetime caricaturing Savarkar and reducing him to a convenient political demon. For all the efforts of successive Congress-ruled regimes to erase Swatantryaveer Savarkar’s place in India’s freedom struggle, his ideas and sacrifices have proved stubbornly resistant to official amnesia. He was among the earliest revolutionaries to articulate a full-throated case for complete independence, long before such ideas became respectable within the Congress. His imprisonment in Andaman’s Cellular Jail, enduring unimaginable conditions designed to break men physically and mentally, is a source of inspiration for many. His writings on nationalism, social reform and the abolition of caste rigidities were influential even among those who later disagreed with his politics. That such a figure still awaits the country’s highest civilian honour speaks volumes about the selective memory of India’s political class. The Congress has long cast Savarkar as a ‘traitor’ for submitting mercy petitions to the British, completely ignoring the historical context. Revolutionary politics in the early 20th century involved clandestine networks, strategic retreats and compromises forced by incarceration. Many freedom fighters wrote petitions or recalibrated their methods when faced with indefinite imprisonment. The Congress’s insistence on treating Savarkar’s petitions as unique moral failings reveals more about the party’s insistence on reductive narratives than historical truth. Equally telling is the party’s attempt to link Savarkar to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. While courts of the time examined that accusation and acquitted Savarkar, that insinuation persists, and has been deployed by Rahul Gandhi and other leaders whenever Savarkar’s name arises. This has proved corrosive to honest debate on Savarkar. Savarkar’s articulation of Hindutva challenged the Congress’s long-standing claim to be the sole custodian of nationalism. He argued that cultural identity and national unity were not incompatible with modernity, an argument that has gained traction as India’s politics have evolved. To honour Savarkar would be to acknowledge that the freedom movement was intellectually plural, and not a monopoly of one party or one ideology. Savarkar’s rehabilitation has not been driven by official patronage alone. It reflects a broader reassessment by Indians who are weary of being told which heroes they may admire. While awarding the Bharat Ratna to Savarkar would not settle every argument about his ideas, they would at least belatedly acknowledge his contribution. India has bestowed the award on artists, scientists and politicians who disagreed profoundly with one another. To deny Savarkar the same consideration is to turn the Bharat Ratna into a partisan veto rather than a national recognition.

Knives out in legislature

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

Disha Salian

Mumbai: Death of celebrity manager Disha Salian in 2020 once again rocked the Maharashtra legislature on Thursday. While cabinet ministers Nitesh Rane and Shambhuraj Desai demanded that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray be arrested in the case, BJP MLA Amit Satam in the assembly and another BJP member Chitra Wagh in the council demanded that the report of SIT to probe Salian’s death be made public.


Incidentally, amidst repeated disruptions in both the houses, some members from the treasury benches were seen speaking in favour of Aditya Thackeray, while Shiv Sena (UBT) members like Adv Anil Parab were seen supporting the BJP members’ demand that the report of the SIT probe be made public. In addition, there were allegations and counter allegations and personal accusations among members from the treasury and opposition benches which led to heated debate on occasions.


The opposition termed the attempts from the treasury benches to link Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray’s name in the case, as a ‘conspiracy’.


“I think this matter has gone to the court. We have no idea what he (Disha’s father) has said, but Aaditya Thackeray is a mature leader, a young leader. The Bharatiya Janata Party is conspiring to defame him by putting pressure on him. We don’t need to answer to this conspiracy. The court will answer,” Ambadas Danve said.


Earlier in the day, when the house gathered for the business, Minister of State for Home appraised the assembly of the status in this case. “SIT has been formed to probe in the case. Their report has not been received as yet. However, the government shall act according to directives from the court,” the minister told the house.


Another BJP minister Nitesh Rane, however, said that since Satish Salian has levelled allegations against an MVA minister, that leader be treated like a common person and that everybody should be treated equally before the law. Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai too supported the demand. “Since the allegations are grave, the person in question should be immediately arrested and the case be investigated,” he said.


Later, while speaking to media in the legislature premises, Rane asked Uddhav Thackeray to come clean on the issue. “If they say that we are politicizing the issue, Uddhav Thackeray should also tell the people why he had called, not just once but twice, to the then union minister Narayan Rane urging him to save his son?” Rane said.


He also accused the opposition of shying away from coming clean on the issue. “If they feel that we are not telling the truth, they should say so in the house. But they are shying away from doing so. Bhaskar Jadhav, who is always aggressive, was nowhere to be seen when this issue came up in the house. Sunil Prabhu too escaped the house under the pretext of a phone call. I challenge them to say that whatever I said on the issue is wrong,” Rane said.


He also said that Aditya Thackeray should resign on moral grounds till his name is cleared in the case.


BJP MLA Amit Satam demanded that the details of the SIT probe be made public so that the people would know if the probe is headed in right direction.


Interestingly, while the ruling parties were targeting the opposition in the case, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar surprised all with his unexpected support to Thackerays. “I do not have any evidences in the case. But if her father has made any fresh allegations that needs to be investigated thoroughly. The assembly can discuss the issue at length tomorrow. In the meanwhile, members like Rane, who seem to have some evidences in the case should hand them over to the investigating agencies and help the probe,” he told the house.


Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Gaikwad and Sheetal Mhatre too toed the line and demanded that more and more evidences should come forth.


Similarly, when members of treasury benches were pushing for revealing the details of the probe till date to the public, Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab supported the demand. “Doing that shall conclusively prove the innocence of Aditya Thackeray,” he said.

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