Jitendra Singh posts Indira Gandhi's letter praising Veer Savarkar

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday tweeted a letter penned by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in which she praised Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, by calling him a "remarkable son of India".

"#IndiraGandhi, as Prime Minister, praises Veer Savarkar in writing," Singh captioned the post along with the letter.

In the letter addressed to Pandit Bakhle, secretary of Swatantrayaveer Savarkar Rashtriya Smarak, dated May 20, 1980, Gandhi wrote, "I have received your letter of the 9th May 1980. Veer Savarkar's daring defiance has its own important place in the annals of our freedom movement. I wish success to the plans to celebrate the birth centenary of this remarkable son of India."

The development comes after a controversy broke out following BJP proposing the name of Savarkar among others for Bharat Ratna in its manifesto for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Since then, the Opposition has hit out at the BJP for its proposal to confer the country's highest award to Savarkar.

Earlier today, clarifying his party's stand, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said, "We are not against Savarkarji, but the question is we are not in favour of Hindutva ideology that Savarkarji patronised and stood for.