Belagavi: After successfully unveiling the portrait of Veer Savarakar at Belagavi Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the ruling BJP is now making preparations to install the “freedom fighter’s” photos in all schools of the state.
Minister for Kannada and Culture, Power V. Sunil Kumar on Tuesday stated that the ruling BJP is contemplating installing Veer Savarkar’s photo in schools of the state.
Minister Kumar defended the move to put up a photo of Savarkar in the Assembly hall of Suvarna Soudha, stating he welcomed the opposition Congress party’s decision not to oppose it.
“The knowledge has dawned on the Congress leaders after 75 years. They are behaving as if they have a soft corner for Savarkar now,” he stated.
He further stated that the government would give preference to the feelings of Kannada people in connection with the issue of border dispute. “We will not hurt the feelings of our people,” he said.
The Karnataka government had unveiled Savarkar’s photograph amid opposition by the Congress in the Assembly hall of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Monday.
Veer Savarkar’s photo was one among the seven photos of the great personalities of the country that were installed in the Assembly hall. The ceremony was carried out in the absence of the Congress leaders and legislators.
Later, springing a surprise, the opposition Congress party maintained that it does not have any opposition to installation of Veer Savarkar’s photo at the Belagavi Suvarna Soudha.
It demanded that the photo of first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru should be installed along with others. The stand of the Congress has surprised political circles.
The BJP has been pushing to include the RSS ideologue, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (or Veer Savarkar as he termed himself) as a freedom fighter, who historians have stated refrained from the freedom struggle after the British released him from jail based on several mercy petitions he filed. He was also known to have collaborated with the British and declared his loyalty to them.
