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Savarkar
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has alleged that Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar caused India's partition in 1947, while the ruling BJP is currently dividing the cities and neighbourhoods. He made the claim on Thursday in response to questions concerning media reports about the alleged exodus of Hindus from two Muslim-majority localities in Sagar city in the state. Jinnah (founder of Pakistan) and Savarkar divided the country, and now the BJP is dividing every city and every neighbourhood, the Rajya Sabha member told reporters in Indore. To a question about the BJP's Run for Unity' on Friday (October 31), marking the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Congress leader said, We welcome this event, but don't forget that October 31 is also a martyrdom day. He was referring to former prime minister Indira Gandhi, who was assassinated by her bodyguards on the morning of October 31, 1984. Singh also said that proofs of citizenship are
A court here on Thursday rejected a plea by the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar seeking access to a 'book' cited by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while allegedly making defamatory remarks against the late freedom fighter. The Congress leader cannot be compelled to produce the book, said judge Amol Shinde of the special court for MPs and MLAs. Satyaki Savarkar, the complainant in the case, had filed the application in May, claiming no such book as cited by Gandhi existed, and he should be asked to produce it if it did. The court, in its order, said the accused cannot be compelled to disclose his defense before the commencement of the trial. "The accused may produce any relevant documents during the presentation of his defense evidence. If the accused is compelled to produce such evidence prematurely, it would amount to violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 20(3) of the Constitution of India, which protects against self-incrimination," the order ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid rich tributes to Hindutva icon Veer Savarkar on his birth anniversary, saying a grateful nation can never forget the saga of his indomitable courage and struggle. Lauding him as a true son of "Mother India", Modi said even the harshest torture from the colonial British power could not dent his dedication to the motherland, and that his sacrifices and commitment will serve as a beacon for the building of a developed India. Born in 1883 in Maharashtra, Savarkar was a proponent of revolutionary methods to gain freedom from the British empire before his imprisonment in the Andaman Islands under extremely punishing conditions. A hero to Hindu nationalists, he is credited with developing the political framework of Hindutva and was a prolific author and poet. Criticised by secular parties like the Congress for his advocacy of Hindutva, Savarkar has been a venerable figure for the ruling BJP.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a visit to RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar's memorial in Nagpur on March 30 and lay the foundation stone of the extension building of Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre. The memorials of Hedgewar and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh's second Sarsanghchalak M S Golwalkar are located at the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir in Nagpur's Reshimbagh area. PM Modi will visit these memorials on March 30, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule told reporters here on Thursday. During the visit, the PM will lay the foundation stone of the extension building of Madhav Netralaya Premium Centre, he said. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will also attend the programme. "This is the first time that a sitting prime minister will be visiting the Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir premises," a scholar well-versed with RSS history told PTI. He said late BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the memorial in 2007, but he was not the prime minister at that time. Modi earlier visited the .
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Marseille in southern France and paid homage to the memory of freedom fighter V D Savarkar, who attempted a "courageous escape" at the port city. "Landed in Marseille. In India's quest for freedom, this city holds special significance. It was here that the great Veer Savarkar attempted a courageous escape, Modi said in a post on X after arriving there Tuesday night (local time). He added, "I also want to thank the people of Marseille and the French activists of that time who demanded that he not be handed over to British custody. The bravery of Veer Savarkar continues to inspire generations! During British colonial rule, freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had attempted an escape from captivity on July 8, 1910, while he was being transported on board the British ship Morea to India to stand trial. He is known to have slipped out of the ship's porthole and managed to swim ashore before being captured by the French authorities and then han
A special court in Pune on Friday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case related to his alleged objectionable remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. The MP/MLA court granted bail to the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on a surety bond of Rs 25,000 after he appeared before it through video conferencing. Senior Congress leader Mohan Joshi stood as surety before the court. Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi, said the court also granted permanent exemption to the Congress leader from appearing before it. The matter will now be heard on February 18, Pawar added. The case was filed on a complaint of the grandnephew of Savarkar and stemmed from a speech Gandhi gave in London in March 2023, where he made certain remarks on the freedom fighter citing a book written by him.
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on saturday cited V D Savarkar's remarks that there was nothing Indian about the Constitution and took a jibe at the BJP, saying that by talking of protecting the Constitution, the ruling party is "ridiculing" Savarkar. Participating in a debate on 75 years of the adoption of the Constitution, the Congress leader said Savarkar, who is seen as an ideologue of the BJP and RSS, had said there is nothing Indian about the Constitution, and that he preferred Hindu religious text 'Manusmriti' to it. "The Constitution is a document of modern India but it could never have been written without ancient India and her ideas," Rahul Gandhi said. Savarkar had said there is nothing Indian about the Constitution and called Manusmriti a scripture "most worshipable" for Hindus after the Vedas, according to Gandhi. "Nice that you say you are defending the Constitution, but I want to ask, do you stand by your leader's words? Because when you speak abou
A Pune court ordered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear in person before it on December 2 in connection with a defamation complaint filed against him by Hindutva icon V D Savarkar's grandnephew. Satyaki Savarkar had filed a complaint in a Pune court claiming Gandhi, in his speech in London in March 2023, stated that Savarkar had written in a book that he and five to six of his friends once beat up a Muslim man and he (Savarkar) felt happy. As per the plea, Savarkar has not written this anywhere. The court had asked the police to investigate the allegations and file a report. The Vishrambaug police station had carried out the enquiry and said that there is a prima-facie truth in the complaint. On October 4, Special court for MP/MLA, presided over by Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, had issued summons to Gandhi asking him to appear before it on October 23. However, Gandhi did not appear as it was told that he did not receive the summons. ...
A special court in Pune has summoned Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case filed by the grandnephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, accusing the Congress leader of making objectionable remarks against the Hindutva ideologue. The court issued the summons to Gandhi on Friday, asking him to appear before it on October 23. Last year, Savarkar's grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, had lodged a complaint against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in this connection in a Pune court. Last month, the case was transferred to the special court for MPs and MLAs from the Judicial Magistrate First Class (FMFC) court. Advocate Sangram Kolhatkar, who represents Satyaki Savarkar, told PTI that the special court for MPs an MLAs, presided over by Joint Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Amol Shinde, issued the summons against Gandhi stating that his attendance is necessary to answer a charge punishable under section 500 (defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the case, and he
Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Friday accused the Congress government of targeting Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar just to divert public attention from the MUDA 'scam'. Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao claimed on Wednesday that Savarkar used to eat meat and was not against cow slaughter. In an online post, Vijayendra said: "This is a betrayal of our national heroes! The Congress government, driven by its greed for power, has shamefully targeted Veer Savarkar - a patriot who dedicated his life to India's freedom - just to divert public attention from their corruption in the #MUDAScam. This desperate ploy to mislead the public is unacceptable." He further said that the BJP will fight until the "corrupt leaders" of Congress are held accountable. "It's not just an attack on Savarkar, but an insult to every Indian who values our nation's sacrifices. As Vir Savarkar himself said, 'Independence is never given, it is always taken.' No lies or distractions w