The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday endorsed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s call to confer the Bharat Ratna on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, saying the move would be a “proud moment” for the country, even as Opposition parties criticised the demand as divisive and politically motivated.
Bhagwat had said that the stature of India’s highest civilian honour would rise further if it were awarded to Savarkar. BJP leaders echoed the sentiment, while Congress and other Opposition parties questioned the basis of the proposal and alleged an attempt to politicise national honours.
Speaking outside Parliament, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said the view expressed by Bhagwat reflected public sentiment. “The sentiment that Mohan Bhagwat has expressed for Savarkar is shared by every Indian. He is even above the Bharat Ratna in stature. If he is given the Bharat Ratna, then it would be a proud moment for every Indian,” she said.
BJP Rajasthan president Madan Rathore described Savarkar as a nationalist revolutionary who endured severe hardship for India’s freedom. “The great nationalist revolutionary Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who struggled immensely to free the country, was sentenced to Kala Pani several times and imprisoned in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” he said.
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BJP MP Dinesh Sharma said Savarkar had placed the nation above himself. “Veer Savarkar spent his entire life in Kalapani, confined to a small cell. Savarkar was a true nationalist who placed the nation above himself,” he said.
Opposition leaders strongly objected to the renewed push. Congress MP Ujjwal Raman Singh said the decision rested with the government. “That may be their personal opinion… the Government of India has to decide who gets what and who does not,” he said.
Congress MP Imran Masood questioned the grounds for such an honour, while AIMIM leader Shaukat Ali alleged that Savarkar had written apology letters to the British government. CPI(M) MP John Brittas called the proposal divisive, warning it would mark an “unfortunate chapter” in India’s history.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said her party had consistently demanded the Bharat Ratna for Savarkar but accused the BJP of using his name for political gain.
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