Before this, Congress has many times committed the sin of insulting patriots like Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar under the guise of so-called secularism. Now once again, Union Minister for Oil and Natural Gas, Manishankar Aiyar tried to insult Savarkar when lighting the Freedom Flame (Swatantrya Jyot) on 9th August - Smritidin (day of remembrance) of Quit India movement in front of the cellular jail in Andaman. It was decided to inscribe the quotes of Savarkar, Netaji Subhashchandra Bose, Madanlal Dhingra and Bhagat Singh on the monument, which was erected through the efforts of Shri Ram Naik, Ex-Union Minister for this very ministry. But when the rulers are changed, the direction of the Government work also changes. The bureaucracy working under the new government removed the quote of Savarkar. Savarkar underwent the rigorous imprisonment of 10 years of Kala Pani (due to the severeness of the RI and the horrible conditions prevailing at that time in this location it was called Kala Pani - black water) in the cellular jail. But when the function was being celebrated, Aiyar avoided even to utter the name of Savarkar. If this is his ignorance, he must be sent again to school. If it is not so and he has deliberately avoided this mention and had removed the quote of Savarkar, there must be a sharp protest on the national level. Aiyar is well educated and he has a long experience of bureaucracy and politics. Such petty politics was not expected of him. During the ceremony held after lighting the flame, Governor of Andaman Ram Kapse was on the dais. His reaction also must be made public. Congress is committing this offence about Savarkar now and then. Some months back, a decision was taken to put up the oil painting of Savarkar in the Parliament in the meeting of all parties. It was also decided that it should be uncovered at the hands of President Abdul Kalam. Yet, Congress took the decision to boycott the function.
There can be disagreement about the thoughts of Savarkar. In democracy, it is wrong to expect that the opinions of everybody would be acceptable to all. But because one has different thinking, there is no reason to doubt the patriotism of Savarkar. Definitely not for Sonia Gandhi's Congress. When a memorial for Savarkar was erected in Mumbai, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had given a donation for it from her personal account. If Sonia and the people humming their selfish tune around her do not know this history, they can even today come to the memorial and see the photograph of this cheque. Savarkar had written, "Ki ghetale vrat na he amhi andhetene, Labdha prakash itihas nisarga mane, Je divya daahak mhanoni asaavayache, Buddhyachi vaan dharile kari he satiche". Savarkar's these lines translated in Hindi were to be inscribed on the sculpture. (Hindi translation read: "Desh bhakti ka vrat humne aakhe muund kar nahim liya hain. Itihas ki prakhar jyoti mein humne is marg ki parakh ki hain. Drud pratigya lekar divya aagni mein jalne ka nischaya jaan-bujhkar kiya hain, Humne vrat liya hain-atma balidan ka." (English version of these lines is: We have not taken this pledge with our eyes shut. We have chosen this path of struggle keeping the history in mind. With great determination to burn in the fire we have taken the pledge to sacrifice our lives for the nation.") Aiyar must give explanation how he smelt Hindutva in them. Otherwise his outright apology must be demanded. People do not become immortal by inscribing their names on the memorials. A blazing fire-pot like Savarkar do not need government stones. But this question is not limited to only Savarkar but of all the freedom fighters who had taken to the revolutionary path for freedom. The ways of Savarkar and Gandhiji of movements were different. But the aim of achieving freedom was the same. Like Savarkar, Gandhi's way was not acceptable to Netaji Subhash, Bhagat Singh. But because of it, their sacrifice cannot be considered of low quality.
In the fight for freedom, 'Congress'
was a movement. Because of this movement, freedom was achieved and eventually
the power came to Congress. But because of it, the credit for all
the freedom movement does not go only to Congress. Today's Congress in
power has not even iota's connection with that movement. The Congress,
which gave an equal place in the Central Ministry to Muslim League, which
supported the partition, has no right to show displeasure at the Hindutvawad
of Savarkar. When the BJP-led Government was in the power, useless undertaking
of re-writing the Indian history was launched by Murali Manohar Joshi.
Just as it was deplorable, same way, Aiyar's action of insulting the revolutionaries
is of a mean level. The real cause of worry is that the English newspapers
with half-baked knowledge of history and news channels with a thirst of
sensational news and political people with excellent command on English
and Hindi like Aiyar can easily create intellectual misguidance among the
readers and viewers. If the NDA which has dominated the entire session
of Parliament on the point of 'tainted Ministers' brings the point of insult
of revolutionaries in the house of Parliament and forces the Government
to make amends on the freedom monument, it will be the real tribute to
the freedom fighters and the upstarts like Aiyar will be clamped down.