RSS pounces Congress on Savarkar

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Title: RSS pounces on Congress

>Author: Pioneer News Service/ New Delhi

>Publication: The Pioneer

>February 26, 2003

>

>After the Opposition onslaught, the RSS went into a tizzy and brought out

>a list detailing appreciation of V D Savarkar by senior Congress and

>Communist leaders.The list, released by the RSS joint spokesman Ram

>Madhav, includes senior leaders from both the parties. It lists Subhash

>Chandra Bose, Indira Gandhi, Y B Chavan, Gulzari Lal Nanda etc from the

>Congress and S A Dange and S M Joshi from the socialist stream.

>

>When the late Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of the country, she was

>quoted to have said, "Savarkar was a great figure of contemporary India

>and his name is a by-word for daring and name is a by-word for daring and

>patriotism. He was cast in the mould of a classic revolutionary and

>countless people drew inspiration from him."

>

>Subhash Chandra Bose is said to have wanted Savarkar to join the Congress

>after he was released. Incidentally, the Opposition has charged that

>Savarkar wrote to the British authorities requesting for his release. The

>RSS claim is that his mercy petition was only a "ploy" to get out of the

>prison and carry forward his work.

>

>Replying to another charge that Savarkar was accused in the Mahatma Gandhi

>murder case, the RSS said the court had acquitted him of all such charges.

>Appreciating this fact, even the very senior Congress leaders like the

>first President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad, his predecessor Dr

>Radhakrishnan and senior Congress leader Y B Chavan felicitated Savarkar

>in December 1960, the RSS claimed.

>

>Some of the other Congress leaders who figure in the list include,

>Rajagopalachari who became the first Governor-General of free India,

>Joachim Alva and N C Chagla. Many like Jagjivan Ram and Gulzarilal Nanda

>showed concern about his health, the RSS said.

>Quoting socialist and Communist leaders, the RSS claimed that the Chairman

>of the Communist Party S A Dange said, "Savarkar was one of the great

>anti-imperialist revolutionaries."

>

>Socialist leader S M Joshi is quoted as having said that he was inspired

>by Savarkar's call for absolute political independence. Another great

>thinker M N Roy is said to have desired to devote his life again to the

>emancipation of India on Savarkar's own line of thinking.

>

>Mr Madhav asked Congress president Sonia Gandhi to refrain from "issuing

>certificates of patriotism." He took serious exception to Ms Gandhi's

>letter to the President against the unveiling of the portrait at the

>central hall on Wednesday.

>

>He also asked the Congress to come clear on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister

>Digvijay Singh's recent assertion that he believed in "Savarkar's brand of

>Hinduism.Not only was Mr Singh's father an MLA representing Savarkar's

>Hindu Mahasabha, Mr Singh himself headed the Bhopal Municipality as a

>Mahasabha nominee when Savarkar was alive," Mr Madhav said.

>

>

>

 

 

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