BHARAT RATNA TO
SAVARKAR WILL AMOUNT TO DENIGRATION OF FREEDOM FIGHTERS: SDPI
New Delhi, 23rd Oct 2019: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has opposed the move to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the country, to Hindutva icon, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as promised in the manifesto of BJP in the Maharashtra elections.
M. K. Faizy, the National president of SDPI, in
a statement has said that Savarkar cannot be honored as a national hero with
the anti-national and anti-humanity legacy which he finally left behind. He did
start as a fighter for India but ended as a British stooge both
ideologically and action wise. He propounded the concept of Hindutva which was
synonymous with casteism, subjugation to the British and Hindu separatism. Faizy
said that Savarkar openly supported the Two-nation theory. For a complete
appraisal of his role in advancing Two-nation theory in pre-independence India,
we must get acquainted with his words and deeds while he was a freeman, guiding
the Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1942, he added.
Faizy questioned as to why has the Maharashtra
BJP promised that it would initiate efforts to confer the Bharat Ratna on
Savarkar? He said the main reason for this announcement probably appears to be
the BJP’s desire to maintain its proprietary hold on Hindutva politics. It was
also BJP gimmick to lure Maharashtra Brahmin votes.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s
reported call about the need to “rewrite history” from an “Indian point of
view” is totally uncalled for and ill motivated. Historical events can
indeed be rewritten if new facts emerge about the past or there is new evidence
that challenges previous interpretations. But Mr. Shah’s call to “rewrite
history” is predicated on specific, pre-determined outcomes and cannot be seen
in isolation from his regime’s and his political organization’s overall world
view. Faizy pointed out that Hindutva right wing glorifies India’s ancient
past, largely through a literal reading of epics and religious texts, and views
the “medieval period” negatively as little more than a narrative of invasion by
outsiders.
No Comments