MYSURU: Days after being appointed as a member of the BJP Parliamentary Board and the party’s Central Election Committee, veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa kickstarted the ‘Veer Savarkar Ratha Yatra’ from Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple in Mysuru on Tuesday.
Terming Savarkar “a great nationalist”, Yediyurappa said even former prime minister Indira Gandhi had called him a “hero and an immortal in the history of India”, and former Presidents Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussian had also praised him. Those opposing Savarkar do it for cheap publicity and political reasons, he added.
The seven-day yatra will criss-cross Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts “to educate masses and clear myths of people” about Savarkar and his role in the freedom struggle. He said that when the country is emerging as “Vishwaguru” and facing challenges from its neighbours, it is unfortunate that there is a propaganda launched against Savarkar that he was not a freedom fighter.
He claimed that Savarkar opposed the British through his struggle, appealed to people to reject foreign goods and there is a need for the younger generation to follow in his footsteps. He said people should not forget the “heartfelt condolences of Jayaparkash Narayan” for Savarkar and alleged that a few leaders are misleading the public by distorting history. He urged people to join the yatra and ensure that it passes off peacefully.
Asked about Siddaramaiah’s attack on Savarkar, Yediyurappa said that without any knowledge of religion and country, Siddaramaiah is making an irresponsible statement. The people of the state will give him a fitting reply if he continues to make such statements, he added. He hit out at Siddaramaiah for planning the ‘Kogadu Chalo’, despite Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s assurance that action will be taken against those involved in the egg incident.