Congress slams Sanjay Raut's remark on Savarkar, says Kalapani convicts who never sought British mercy deserve Bharat Ratna

-

Mumbai: Hitting back at Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut for his remarks on opponents of the Bharat Ratna honour for VD Savarkar, the Congress on Saturday said supporters of the Hindutva ideologue should visit the erstwhile Andaman Jail to understand the sacrifice made by those freedom fighters who never apologised to the British.

File image of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. News18

File image of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. News18

The Congress' reaction came within hours of Raut stating that those opposing the Bharat Ratna award for Savarkar should be made to spend at least two days in the erstwhile colonial prison to understand the hardships faced by him during his incarceration. In a swipe, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the BJP can grant the highest civilian honour to Savarkar by virtue of majority at the Centre, if it is willing to ignore Savarkar's statements like calling BR Ambedkar a 'mathefiru' (fanatic) and Buddhists as "rashtradrohi" (pro- sedition)".

"Savarkar was different before 1911. The Congress is against his post-1923 ideology," Sawant said in a series of tweets. "Savarkar had called Ambedkar a 'mathefiru', Buddhists as 'deshdrohi'. He had also criticised good deeds of Chhatrapati Shivaji," Sawant tweeted. "Savarkar had also supported the movement opposing merger of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore with India," he stated.

Sawant said 149 persons were sent for "Kalapani" (Andaman Cellular Jail) during 1909-21, while the number was 30 during 1922-1931 and 386 between 1932 and 1938. "Many freedom fighters like Yogesh Shukla had served the jail sentence there (in Andaman) and later took part in the freedom movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi," he stated.

Taking aim at Savarkar, Sawant stated, "All those who served the sentence did so with pride and without seeking mercy. Such people should be given the Bharat Ratna".
After his conviction for the murder of A.T.M. Jackson, Collector of Nashik district, Savarkar was brought to the Andamans in 1911. A controversy rages on on whether Savarkar demanded clemency from the British for his early release from the cellular jail, notorious for its inhuman conditions.

"The freedom fighters who served their jail terms in the Andaman did not support the British. They did not take any honorarium from the British. If Savarkar supporters visit the cellular jail, they will realise the importance of sacrifice made by the great freedom fighters who laid down their lives without asking any pardon. "Savarkar was different before 1911. The Congress opposes his ideology post 1923," the Congress spokesperson said.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2ucV4Au
Press Trust of India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more