‘Those who oppose Savarkar should be sent to Cellular Jail’
MUMBAI: Senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday stirred up another controversy, suggesting that those opposing Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and a Bharat Ratna for him should be sent to Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to see how the freedom fighter lived there. While his statement could be seen as a veiled jibe at the Congress, Sena leader and state minister Aaditya Thackeray sought to dismiss the issue saying it is Raut’s personal opinion and that one needs to talk about “current issues”. The Congress’s state unit spokesperson, Sachin Sawant, pointed out that there were 596 freedom fighters in the Andaman jail and that all their sacrifices should be respected.
Raut’s statement came against the backdrop of Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan saying that the party will oppose a Bharat Ratna for Savarkar. “Those who oppose Savarkar, whether it is due to ideology or differences, should be made to spend time at Cellular Jail. Savarkar spent 14 years [there], facing huge hardships. These people will realise the sacrifice and hardships he faced there,” said Raut.
Reacting to Raut’s remarks, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya asked the Sena if its leader was targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Thackeray, however, distanced his party from Raut’s statement. “It is his [Raut’s] personal opinion,” said Thackeray, the son of chief minister (CM) and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray. “The Shiv Sena-congress alliance is strong and we came together for the development of the state. We may have different views on certain issues, but this is what democracy is. Instead of history, we need to talk of current issues,” said Thackeray. “Stop squabbling over what happened in the past and look at the problems at hand. The economy is in a bad shape and unemployment is rising, which needs to be dealt with,” Thackeray advised the BJP.
The Congress said it did not pay much attention to what Raut said and sought to distance itself from the matter. “I don’t think it’s worthwhile to comment on Raut’s statement. Aaditya Thackeray has already clarified his position,” said Congress leader and former CM Ashok Chavan. “The government is running on the basis of a Common Minimum Programme and Sanjay Raut’s comments do not reflect on our governance,” said Chavan. Sawant said nobody has stopped the BJP government from giving an award to Savarkar. “However, there were 596 freedom fighters sentenced to imprisonment at Andaman jail during the British rule. They did not apologise to the British and sacrificed their lives. Why not [declare] Bharat Ratna for all of them?” he added.