Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue VD Savarkar presented India with a “robust defence and diplomatic doctrine” and was India’s biggest and first defence and strategic affairs expert in the 20th century.
At an event to release a book on Savarkar in Delhi, the minister also said people who followed Marxist and Leninist ideologies accused Savarkar of being a fascist and proponent of Hindutva. The book–Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition—has been authored by Uday Mahurkar and Chirayu Pandit and published by Rupa publications.
“A lot of falsehood was spread against Savarkar. It was repeatedly said that he filed multiple mercy petitions before the British government. The truth is he did not file these petitions for his release. Generally a prisoner has right to file a mercy petition. Mahatma Gandhi had asked that you file a mercy petition. It was on Gandhi’s suggestion that he filed a mercy petition. And Mahatma Gandhi had appealed that Savarkar ji should be released. He had said the way we are running movement for freedom peacefully, so would Savarkar,” Singh said.
Savarkar was forthright in saying that India’s relations with other countries should depend on how conducive those ties are to India’s security and its interests, irrespective of the kind of government in those countries, “Savarkar was India’s first military strategic affairs expert in the 20th century, who gave the country a robust defence and diplomatic doctrine,” Mr Singh said. He added that Savarkar had in fact inspired people to break the shackles of slavery and agitated against untouchability among various other social issues including women’s rights.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who also spoke on the occasion, said those who did not understand the multi-dimensional personality of Savarkar discredited him. He said Savarkar’s ideology was congruent to the idea of being able to walk together and speak in one voice even in the face of divergent political ideologies. “We believe that political difference of opinion exist and it is natural. (Mahatma) Gandhi and Savarkar had differences of opinion, no attempts should be made to disprove that…but their feelings towards each other were similar to those of compatriots who work selflessly,” he said.
The RSS chief said that when voices began rising in India that there were two nations based on religion, then Savarakar had to shout that nationalism was beyond religious differences and so we are not different. He added that after 75 years of experiencing independence, people are realising what Savarakar said was right. “If it was felt at that time If at that time the Hindu society had said why do you feel different, you are our own, our brothers and you share the duties and its fruits… lets walk together, you are not a minority,” Bhagwat said.
