INDIA. Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday announced that the proposed Bandra-Versova sea link in North West Mumbai, will be named after veteran freedom fighter Barrister Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and the bravery awards will be instituted in his name for those doing exemplary courageous work and saving people in distress.
Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis participated in the inaugural function of the new Parliament building and attended a meeting of chief ministers of BJP-controlled states convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sunday.
PM Modi’s Tribute to Savarkar
Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union ministers, and MPs paid floral tributes to Savarkar in the Central Hall of the old Parliament building. Veer Savarkar’s personality comprised firmness and magnanimity. His fearless and self-respecting nature did not like the mentality of slavery, Modi said on the occasion.
Later, Shinde attended the Savarkar birth anniversary function organized by the Savarkar Pratisthan in central Mumbai. He said that there was a close link between Savarkar and the sea, and that was the reason the Bandra-Versova Sea Link will be named after him. Savarkar Pratisthan Working President Ranjit Savarkar, Minister Deepak Kesarkar, and others were present on the occasion.
Statue in Mauritius
In another development, a statue of Savarkar was unveiled in Mauritius by Maharashtra PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan in the presence of Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun.
Chavan recalled that India, under the stewardship of PM Modi, has recognized Mauritius as a special friend and a bond between both countries has grown manifold. “Those who migrated to Mauritius some 200 years back have preserved the Indian and Maharashtra culture in Mauritius. The Maharashtra Government is committed to extending all help to Indians, settled in Mauritius to promote cultural relations between both the countries,” he added.
Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais, in an earlier function, announced that Savarkar’s poems would be included in school curricula. He also called for the need to set up a huge memorial at his native place, Bhagur, in Nashik.
Rahul Gandhi-Savarkar
A momentum in favour of Savarkar gained momentum following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, that Savarkar was known more for his clemency petitions to the British for his release from jail, than his bravery.
Soon, criticism against Gandhi erupted. The Maharashtra Government organized a week-long program to propagate Savarkar’s ideals and also organized “Savarkar runs”. It also observed “Swatantraveer Gaurav Din” on Sunday to make the youth understand his struggles and get inspired by his ideology and determination.
Savarkar was born in Nashik on May 28, 1883. He immensely contributed to India’s freedom movement, focusing on his campaigns for social reforms and the abolition of untouchability.
History
To criticize Savarkar as a “clemency man” is baseless since he was the only freedom fighter who sacrificed 27 years for the freedom struggle. He was the only freedom fighter who was awarded 50 years imprisonment at a stretch. Of these, he served a 14-year jail term and was confined (under house arrest) to Ratnagiri for 13 years (27 years).
At Cellular Jail, he was subjected to unconscionable torture that tested the very limits of his conviction. He was restrained in chains, flogged, and kept in solitary confinement for six months. The British made him pound coir with his bare hands, and his hands often dripped with blood. He did submit the clemency petitions on four occasions, and they were invariably rejected.
Most of the freedom fighters compromised with the British in some form or another.
Lokmanya Tilak ( 6 years in Mandalay Jail (Myanmar). (No clemency). Mahatma Gandhi (7 years in Indian jails and 5 months in African jail) (most of the time he was released based on a compromise). Besides, his jail terms were of shorter duration. Jawaharlal Nehru ( 9 years in jail ) (He was released from the Nabha jail (Patiala, Punjab) only after he signed a bond that he would never enter the princely state again (nothing but clemency).
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