Why Bharat Ratna for Savarkar, asks Karnataka health minister Dinesh
BENGALURU: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday criticised Hindutva icon Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, stating that he should not be considered a national icon because not everyone accepts him, and questioned the demand to confer on him the nation’s highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna.
Rao said the Bharat Ratna should be reserved for leaders who truly represent the entire nation. He described Savarkar as an icon for only a small section of people. “Veer Savarkar is an icon, but he is not an icon for the entire country because of his controversial role in the assassination of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi,” Rao said.
He also claimed that after his release from the Andaman Islands, Savarkar withdrew from the freedom movement. “Bharat Ratna is a very special and unique recognition. It should not be given to those who do not represent the entire country,” he added.
Historically speaking, it is well known that Savarkar was arrested in connection with Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, but was later acquitted by a court due to lack of sufficient evidence.
His mercy petitions to the British during his imprisonment, and his political activities after release have remained subjects of public debate. While the BJP and RSS hail him as a revolutionary who suffered imprisonment for India’s freedom, Congress leaders have often questioned his legacy.