Short Description: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slams BJP and RSS for pushing Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar, controversially suggesting the award could next go to Gandhi’s assassin.
Read Time: 2 minutes 30 seconds
Main Article:
The political discourse in India has taken a sharp and controversial turn, centering on the legacy of historical figures and the nation’s highest civilian honor. AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a scathing critique against the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS, following Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent advocacy for conferring the Bharat Ratna on Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Owaisi’s incendiary remarks, made during a campaign rally in Telangana, went beyond mere disagreement, drawing a direct and provocative line from Savarkar to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse.
Without naming Savarkar explicitly, Owaisi referenced the historical J.L. Kapur Commission report, which identified Savarkar as a conspirator in Gandhi’s assassination. He posed a rhetorical question, stating, “A person involved in Gandhi’s assassination—you are seeking the Bharat Ratna for him. Congratulations. A time will come when the BJP may even award it to Godse.” To counter the narrative of Savarkar’s unparalleled sacrifice, Owaisi invoked the story of Maulvi Alauddin, the imam of Hyderabad’s Makkah Masjid, who was among the first prisoners sentenced to the Cellular Jail (Kala Pani) for his role in the 1857 rebellion against the British, where he ultimately died. This historical citation was aimed at questioning the exclusivity of the RSS’s narrative of patriotism and sacrifice.
The core of Owaisi’s argument hinges on a pointed contrast: celebrating a figure who submitted multiple mercy petitions to British authorities versus honoring those like Maulvi Alauddin who faced the harshest punishment without seeking clemency. This debate transcends historical analysis, becoming a potent political tool in the charged atmosphere of India’s electoral landscape. It highlights the deep ideological divides over how India’s freedom struggle is memorialized and which figures are officially valorized by the state, with the Bharat Ratna serving as the ultimate symbolic battleground.
Short Summary:
Asaduddin Owaisi’s vehement opposition to awarding the Bharat Ratna to V.D. Savarkar has ignited a fierce political and historical debate. By referencing the Kapur Commission and contrasting Savarkar’s petitions with the sacrifice of figures like Maulvi Alauddin, Owaisi frames the issue as a contest over India’s narrative of patriotism. His provocative link to Nathuram Godse underscores the high-stakes symbolism of the award in contemporary Indian politics.
