Veer Savarkar's birth anniversary: Narendra Modi, other BJP leaders pay tributes to Independence activist and Hindutva philospher

On freedom fighter and Hindutva philosopher Vinayak Damodar Savarkar’s 136th birth anniversary, many politicians paid tributes to him including Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi. “Veer Savarkar epitomizes courage, patriotism and unflinching commitment to a strong India. He inspired many people to devote themselves towards nation building,” Modi said in a tweet remembering the lawyer and activist.

We bow to Veer Savarkar on his Jayanti.

Veer Savarkar epitomises courage, patriotism and unflinching commitment to a strong India.

He inspired many people to devote themselves towards nation building. pic.twitter.com/k1rmFHz250

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 28, 2019

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu also tweeted saying the “nation will always remember the sacrifices made by him during the freedom struggle”.

Tributes to revolutionary freedom fighter, rationalist & reformer, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on his birth anniversary today. Nation will always remember the sacrifices made by him during the freedom struggle. #VeerSavarkar pic.twitter.com/1wJ42T8eMg

— Vice-President of India (@VPIndia) May 28, 2019

Several other BJP leaders like Arun Jaitley, Rajyavardhan Rathore, and Rajnath Singh also remembered Savarkar and hailed him for his nationalism and courage. Jaitley said Savarkar’s “nationalistic ideals, patriotism, and courage guided generations of Indians”. Whereas, Rathore called him an “epitome of patriotism and true inspiration”, while Singh said that “Savarkar’s courage during the freedom movement and his contribution to this great nation will continue to inspire coming generations”. Meanwhile, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani paid flower tributes to Savarkar at his office.

Paid floral tributes to Shri Vinayak Damodar Savarkar - the patriot of The Indian War of Independence, on his birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/Bd74IRcj2W

— Vijay Rupani Memorial (@vijayrupanibjp) May 28, 2019

More from Politics

Is Shashi Tharoor’s breakup with Congress inevitable? ‘Naxalism will end in India by March 2026’: Amit Shah at CRPF Raising Day parade

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman also paid tributes to the leader calling him a “visionary statesman and social reformer”.

Tribute to #VeerSavarkar 🙏
A fearless revolutionary, prolific poet, a visionary statesman, a social reformer, who dedicated his life in the service of Bharat Mata. #VeerSavarkarJayanti pic.twitter.com/zFd0a3iL3q

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) May 28, 2019

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and such other BJP leaders as Pon Radhakrishnan, BS Yeddyurappa and Vijender Gupta also tweeted to pay homage to Savarkar. Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel had on Monday claimed that Savarkar was the first one to propose the two-nation theory that led to the formation of India and Pakistan, while Muhammad Ali Jinnah implemented it. Baghel said, “Savarkar had put forward the proposal of dividing the country into two parts on religious grounds and Jinnah had implemented it. This is a historical fact and no one can deny it.” Baghel was speaking on the demand for honouring Savarkar with Bharat Ratna. “He had fought for the Independence of the country and was put in Andaman and Nicobar jail. Not just once but he apologised repeatedly to Britishers and after coming out of jail he stayed away from the fight for the country’s Independence. He had thought of two countries, this is also historically true,” he said. In May 2018, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) had requested the Centre to replace the picture of Mahatma Gandhi from the Indian currency with the picture of Savarkar — who was held captive by the Britishers in the infamous Cellular Jail (‘Kaala Paani’) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.