Amit Shah slams Congress for remark on Savarkar, says ‘no one braver’ than Veer’s family

Union Home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, while delivering a fierce reply on the Constitution debate in the Rajya Sabha, hit back at a ‘senior’ Congress leader for their remark on Veer Savarkar.

Shah said that no political party or elected government gave Savarkar the title of ‘Veer’, rather it was bestowed upon him by 140 crore people of the nation for his “bravery”.

The home minister’s response was in a veiled reference to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on Savarkar on Saturday, December 14.

In attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party, Rahul said whenever the saffron party defends the Constitution, they are “defaming” Savarkar.

“I want to ask you (BJP), do you stand by your leader’s words? Do you support your leader’s words? Because when you speak in Parliament about protecting the Constitution, you are ridiculing Savarkar, you are abusing Savarkar, you are defaming Savarkar,” the Congress leader had said in the Lower House during the Constitution debate.

“I want to start my speech by quoting your supreme leader Savarkar and his ideas on the Constitution of India and how he thought India should be run. He says, ‘The worst thing about the Constitution of India is that there is nothing Indian about it. Manusmriti is that scripture that is most worshippable after the Vedas, and which, from ancient times, had begun the basis of our culture, customs, thought, and practice. This book for centuries has codified the spiritual and divine march of our nation. Today, Manusmriti is law,” Gandhi had said.

Tearing into the Congress, Shah said that in the struggle for freedom, from 1857 to 1947, no one else other than Veer Savarkar was sentenced to two life terms in a single lifetime.

“If anyone had the courage to leap into the ocean for the country’s freedom, it was Veer Savarkar. In the same prison, two brothers served the sentence of kaala paani (cellular prison). For 10 years, the two brothers did not even see each other. There is no other such brave family in the entire nation,” Shah was quoted as saying.

The home minister further asked whether patriotism can be linked to an ideology or sacrifices for the nation be tied to a particular religion. “To what lengths have we taken public life in our nation?” he questioned.

Further, Shah cited former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s purported appreciation of Savarkar. He told the Congress to at least listen to Indira, if not the BJP.

“In 1966, Indira Gandhi said that Savarkar was a great man. His name became synonymous with courage and patriotism…a great revolutionary who inspired countless people,” Shah added.

In another instance, he said, Indira had hailed Veer Savarkar’s “courageous resistance” to the British administration, saying that it held a significant place in the nation’s freedom struggle.

Shah’s address in the Rajya Sabha concluded the Constitution debate on Tuesday.