Savarkar's portrait up in UP legislative council; oppn wants it removed

The opposition in Uttar Pradesh has objected to the installation of Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar’s portrait in the picture gallery of state Legislative Council.

Congress MLC Deepak Singh wrote a letter to the chairman of the Legislative Council and sought its removal.

The portrait was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday.

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“The installation of the picture of Savarkarji along with that of great freedom fighters who withstood atrocities of the British and yet did not bow before them is an insult to all those who continued to bear all kind of tortures and kept fighting for independence,” Deepak Singh said in the letter to Chairman Ramesh Yadav on Tuesday.

The Congress MLC also said that the picture of Savarkar should be removed and be placed in the BJP parliamentary office instead.

Singh said the chairman has directed the principal secretary of the council to look into the matter and take necessary action.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said there should be a debate among the youth about what contribution has been made by different people to the country and all those who have contributed to the freedom struggle should be honoured.

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But there are others on whom there are different kinds of allegations, documents and stories which raise a question mark, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister added without elaborating.

While inaugurating the portrait, the chief minister termed Savarkar as a great freedom fighter and philosopher whose personality is a source of inspiration for all Indians.

While the BJP counts on Veer Savarkar’s contribution to India’s freedom movement and calls him a “great patriot”, the Congress and other opposition parties have long shunned him for his alleged link to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin.