Savarkar insulted by Congress, didn't get respect he deserved: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday accused the Congress of insulting Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, whom he called a hero who did not get the respect he deserved.

Savarkar did not get the respect he should have received after the Independence, Adityanath said.

The Congress left no stone unturned in "insulting, a revolutionary, writer, philosopher, poet like Savarkar", said Adityanath.

"Had the Congress accepted Savarkar's words, the country would not have been divided. Savarkar had said that Pakistan is not a reality but India will always be there," Adityanath said according to a press statement.

Adityanath was addressing a programme held to mark the birth anniversary of Savarkar. A book on Savarkar was released during the programme.

Adityanath said Savarkar had only one goal that the country should be free. His whole life has been spent in giving a vision to the country, he said.

The chief minister said the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had installed a statue of Savarkar in the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, which was later removed by the Congress government.

"Savarkar was a great hero of the 20th century. He served two life sentences in a single life for the nation," he said.

According to the statement, the chief minister said political parties in power compared Savarkar with Jinnah.

"Savarkar had said that Pakistan cannot be a reality, but India will always be there. This is the principal of nation first which is the reality of today," he said.

The chief minister said socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia had once said if a person is remembered after 50 years of his death with reverence, he cannot be an ordinary person.

"Now, we are remembering him (Savarkar) after 56 years, so we can assess his personality," he said.