Savarkar accomplished man, played part in freedom struggle: Singhvi

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi praised Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on Monday, saying he was an "accomplished man" who played a part in the freedom struggle, fought for Dalit rights and went to jail for the country, days after the BJP's Maharashtra unit proposed a 'Bharat Ratna' for him.

Singhvi, however, said he did not subscribe to Savarkar's ideology, while noting that one cannot agree with the jingoism or "violent elements of Savarkar's nationalism" nor with his "vicious anti-Gandhism".

He said one can accept that Savarkar was imbued by nationalist motives.

Commonly known as Veer Savarkar, he was an Indian independence activist, politician, lawyer, writer, and the formulator of the Hindutva philosophy.

"I personally don't subscribe to Savarkar's ideology but that doesn't take away the fact that he was an accomplished man who played part in our freedom struggle, fought for Dalit rights and went to jail for the country," the Rajya Sabha MP tweeted with the hashtag 'never forget'.

In another tweet, he said, "The strength of Indian thinking has been inclusive. Many strands of the freedom movement have existed -- one cannot agree with the jingoism or violent elements of Savarkar's nationalism nor with his vicious anti- Gandhism but one can accept that he was imbued by nationalist motives."
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, at a press conference in Mumbai last week, had said, "We are not against Savarkar ji, but we are not in favour of the Hindutva ideology that Savarkar ji patronised and stood for either."