MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has come out in favour of conferring the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar, thereby taking a differing stance from its long-term ally Congress over the issue surrounding the controversial freedom fighter.
The comments come as the BJP and CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena started the Savarkar Gaurav Yatra in Maharashtra to honour the Hindutva ideologue's contributions and to counter Rahul Gandhi's criticism against him.
Despite hitting out at the BJP for playing politics using Savarkar, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar questioned why the saffron party hasn't conferred the Bharat Ratna to the controversial leader.
“BJP is in power in Maharashtra and central, then which auspicious day are they waiting to confer the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar? There are many national icons and great people who have yet to get Bharat Ratna, and VD Savarkar is one of them. BJP is only doing politics in the name of Savarkar,” said Ajit Pawar.
He added that former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Savitri Bai Phule and Mahatma Phule with his controversial remarks but BJP kept its mouth shut.
“It shows that the BJP wants to do the convenience of politics. The motormouths of the BJP made controversial statements against our national icons but BJP neither stopped them nor condemned their remarks. BJP is free to call the Gaurav Yatra, but at the same time, they have to pay attention to other important issues as well,” Ajit Pawar said.
Earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi’s alliance partner – Shiv Sena had also demanded Bharat Ratna from VD Savakar and made such a proposal when Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister of Maharashtra.
But Congress has a different stand over the VD Savarkar issue. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that the MVA was formed on some common minimum agendas and Savarkar was not the part of it. He said it is an open fact that Shiv Sena and Congress have different stands when it comes to the Savarkar issue.
“When all freedom fighters were fighting for the country and sacrificed their lives, but at the same time VD Savarkar filed the mercy petitions, not once but multiple times. Therefore Savarkar has been called Mafivir Savarkar. Besides, he has also written objectionable stuff against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. BJP should first clear its stand over it and during the Gaurav Yatra, they should tell the whole truth about Savarkar to people,” Patole said.
Political observers said that NCP is trying to downplay the Savarkar issue by throwing the ball in BJP’s court and not directly reacting to it.
“Earlier NCP chief Sharad Pawar tried to douse the fire between Uddhav Thackeray and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the Savarkar issue. Pawar termed its old-era issue and no relevance in today's fight against BJP and its politics. Ajit Pawar, now, is throwing the ball in BJP court asking them to confer the Bharat Ratna to Savarkar as they are in power in Maharashtra and Delhi. So, BJP has to take the stand whether to accept the Savakar in totality or continue to do politics by hanging the subject as it is,” he observed.