By Pervez Bari
Bhopal: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), has opposed the move to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award of the country, to Hindutva icon, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as promised in the manifesto of BJP in the Maharashtra elections.
M. K. Faizy, the National president of SDPI, in a statement has said that Savarkar cannot be honored as a national hero with the anti-national and anti-humanity legacy which he finally left behind. He did start as a fighter for India but ended as a British stooge both ideologically and action wise. He propounded the concept of Hindutva which was synonymous with casteism, subjugation to the British and Hindu separatism.Faizy said that Savarkar openly supported the Two-nation theory. For a complete appraisal of his role in advancing Two-nation theory in pre-independence India, we must get acquainted with his words and deeds while he was a freeman, guiding the Hindu Mahasabha from 1937 to 1942, he added.
Faizy questioned as to why has the Maharashtra BJP promised that it would initiate efforts to confer the Bharat Ratna on Savarkar? He said the main reason for this announcement probably appears to be the BJP’s desire to maintain its proprietary hold on Hindutva politics. It was also BJP gimmick to lure Maharashtra Brahmin votes.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s reported call about the need to “rewrite history” from an “Indian point of view” is totally uncalled for and ill motivated. Historical events can indeed be rewritten if new facts emerge about the past or there is new evidence that challenges previous interpretations. But Mr. Shah’s call to “rewrite history” is predicated on specific, pre-determined outcomes and cannot be seen in isolation from his regime’s and his political organization’s overall world view.
Faizy pointed out that Hindutva right wing glorifies India’s ancient past, largely through a literal reading of epics and religious texts, and views the “medieval period” negatively as little more than a narrative of invasion by outsiders.