Veer Savarkar birth anniv: Why Indira Gandhi showered praise on 'remarkable son of India'

As India celebrates the 140th birth anniversary of freedom fighter and Hindutva Ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar today (May 28), he still remains to be a contentious figure for the grand old party Congress as the Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi continues on a number of occasions to accuse Veer Savarkar of filing mercy petition before the Britishers. However, on the contrary his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had showered praise on Savarkar and also called him ‘remarkable son of India’.

Gandhi has alleged multiple times that Veer Savarkar wrote mercy petitions to the British and also said to the Britishers, ‘Beg to remain your most obedient servant,’ according to Rahul Gandhi. On the contrary, when Swatantra Veer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak secretary Pandit Bakhle wrote to former PM Indira Gandhi about the plans for celebrating the birth centenary of Veer Savarkar on May 20, 1980, she wished success for the commemorative programs and also said Savarkar’s contribution has an important place in India’s freedom movement.

‘Remarkable son of India’: Indira Gandhi on Veer Savarkar

In response to the letter, Indira Gandhi had replied, “Veer Savarkar’s daring defiance of the British government has its own important place in the annals of our freedom movement. I wish success to the plans to celebrate the birth anniversary of this remarkable son of India.” Moreover, she had also released a stamp in the memory of Veer Savarkar and also donated Rs 5,000 to the Swatantryaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak.  

#LIVE | Today, on May 28, we celebrate the birth anniversary of our great freedom fighter. His sacrifice, courage and determination continue to inspire us all: PM Modi on 'Mann Ki Baat.'#PMModi #MannKiBaat #VeerSavarkar https://t.co/DDroaxj2wW pic.twitter.com/l39cVOQgst

— Republic (@republic)

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes to Swatantra Veer Savarkar in the new parliament building. He also spoke about the Hindutva ideologue in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio show today and said, "Today the 28th of May, is the birth anniversary of the great freedom fighter, Veer Savarkar. The stories related to his sacrifice, courage and resolve inspire us all even today. I cannot forget the day when I went to the cell in Andaman where Veer Savarkar underwent the sentence of Kalapaani." 

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, several Union ministers and MPs paid floral tributes to Savarkar in the Central Hall of the old Parliament building. Along with PM Modi, Om Birla, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Pralhad Joshi, S Jaishankar, Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia, BJP President JP Nadda, Anurag Thakur, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and many more ministers marked their presence during the event.