Yes, Savarkar is ours and Gandhi also…

Yes, Savarkar is ours, Gandhi too is ours, Ambedkar too is ours and even Bhagat Singh is ours as well...Why, every known and unknown freedom fighter who contributed to the nation’s freedom struggle is our. We do not have the intellectual paucity and immaturity to divide these heroes just because of ideological differences for petty party politics

After Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi propounded the theory of ‘Mahatma Gandhi is our and Savarkar is your’ in Lok Sabha, Congress’s tweeter handle claimed immediately that Veer Savarkar was a fake patriot. Actually, this is not the first attempt to malign Savarkar. Manishankar Aiyyar had gone on a reckless spree while removing the plaque bearing Savarkar’s poetry in Andaman when Congress-led UPA government was in power.

The pseudo-seculars have been continuously putting forward their stance for the last few years that Hindutva is something catastrophic and regressive, therefore those who propound it are really inferiors. These individuals are striving incessantly to spoil the history and wipe off Savarkar’s contribution to it, eradicate his memories and malign him. To brand someone, who is known as revolutionary, social reformer, intellectual, thinker and author, as fake is not only an affront to him but also a grave insult to the freedom struggle of the country.

Many people have contributed to the freedom struggle of the nation in many ways. One may have extreme differences of opinions with their ideology, but one cannot reject their contribution in the freedom struggle for this. And when Rahul Gandhi asks “Isn’t Savarkar your?”, one wants to say, “Yes, Savarkar is ours, Gandhi too is ours, Ambedkar too is ours and even Bhagat Singh is ours as well...Why, every known and unknown freedom fighter who contributed to the nation’s freedom struggle is our. We do not have the intellectual paucity and immaturity to divide these heroes for petty party politics just because of ideological differences”. We deem all those who gave us the right and inheritance to live as the citizen of the independent nation as ours. Rahul Gandhi goes to a place where the slogans of this country’s destruction were chanted and supported them. However, at least do not be so ungrateful as to label someone fake who shed his life for this nation.

A campaign of misinformation is often run by raising some points about Savarkar. One of them is his involvement in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, another is that he did not pull oil-mill in Andaman and third is that he begged with the British government for mercy. These are often talked about even when tons of evidences rejecting these allegations are available. A simple question is, why did the Prime Minister Nehru’s government not approach the higher court after Justice Atma Charan’s court acquitted Savarkar from the charge of involvement in Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination when the government was sure that Savarkar was involved in it? Because the government knew it had no evidence against him.

The Kapoor Commission, which is cited to indict Savarkar, actually started its work after Savarkar’s death. Our law stipulates that a person who may incur disrepute because of an inquiry has the right to put forward his side. And yet, to indict Savarkar after his death is unfair to him. The Commission clearly says that Savarkar was unaware of threat to Gandhi’s life. Still, one fails to understand why comments are made that Savarkar and his followers hatched the conspiracy.

The same is the case with other allegations against him. Some claim that he begged for mercy to the British. In fact, the original term is petition (application, memorandum). The term ‘mercy’ is nowhere in it, but the term is used by some to show Savarkar as guilty. The same application mentions that Savarkar was yoked to the oil-mill but it is never mentioned. Actually, Savarkar never got the common facilities that other inmates of the jail availed. No one was kept in captivity in the Cellular Jail at Andaman for more than three years. However, this rule was not applied to Savarkar.  He was kept there for 14 years. He was yoked to the oil-mill for the first time on August 16,1911. He did not get any concession thereafter too. He was given the punishment of standing in handcuffs for eight days for refusing to work on June 8, 1914. He was tortured in many ways. He was denied the facilities that were given to many other prisoners.

His book Mazi Janmathep (The story of my transportation for life) gives the description of attempts done by him for the release of political prisoners. Savarkar’s plank was that much could be done in the interest of the nation by going in India than by remaining in Andaman. Chhatrapati Shivaji’s letter to Afzal Khan, showing him much terrified by the latter, was meant to make him lethargic. This is a part of strategy. Mahatma Gandhi’s jail term was canceled after he agreed with Lord Irwin to recall the Civil Disobedience movement and participate in the Round Table Conference in 1931. How can one describe this…In a letter sent to the Governor General during the World War I, Savarkar says, “Since my aim is the release of the political prisoners, I shall not be dissatisfied even if I am not released.” Much is said against Savarkar even when he has written in so clear and certain terms.

There is another question – whether Congress is proving its own leaders liars? Everyone knows the differences of opinion between Mahatma Gandhi and Savarkar. However, in spite of the differences, Gandhiji stated in 1937, “Sacrifice is the link joining us together”. Indira Gandhi, grandmother of none other than Rahul Gandhi, says, “Savarkar is the equation of courage and patriotism”

For last few years, attempts were made by the Congress and the pseudo-seculars to present the history convenient to one particular family. Rahul Gandhi’s statement is in line with that tradition. Congress always took care not to allow any different or opposing voice than its own to emerge while reciting the chants diversity of India. While proclaiming tolerance, it always strove to impress upon people that its ideology was the only one worth following and a glorious patriot like Savarkar was neglected for ever through this.

In fact, The Congress changed the affidavit filed in Ishrat Jahan case, compromised with the national interest and tried to change all contexts for its political gains. Allegations are made against the BJP government of tinkering with the history but Congress has continuously done the actual tinkering. Those who accuse the BJP government of intolerance remained silent when Congress deleted and omitted for years whatever it did not find suitable to it. Evidences of intolerance and suppression can be found on every page of the Congress regime. Defeating  Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar when he fought election against Congress - Prime Minister Nehru addressed rally against him; imposing emergency in the country when discontentment rose and the court decision went out of favor; insulting Sitaram Kesari, a dalit leader, who said, “I will resign but follow the Congress’s constitution”, after Sonia Gandhi’s entry; pressurizing to send Narsimha Rao’s dead body to Hyderabad because memorials in Delhi could be erected only from the members of the Nehru family…so many instances can be given. Congress has tried to do the same thing with Hindutva and Savarkar. However, this ideology has emerged even more glorious despite opposition. Hence, one wants to reply Rahul Gandhi on his question, ‘Isn’t Savarkar your’ in the words of Samarth Ramdas, the Marathi poet saint -

"Even as one lowers a burning torch

    The flame leaps in upward direction"

 - Keshav Upadhye