Mahatma Gandhi had asked Savarkar to file mercy petitions, says Rajnath Singh

Rajnath Singh

Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar filed mercy petitions before the British during his incarceration in Andaman jail on a suggestion from Mahatma Gandhi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

But the Minister said Savarkar’s contribution to freedom struggle was maligned by those adhering to a certain ideology, something that would not be tolerated anymore.

“A lot of falsehood was spread against Savarkar. It was said time and again that he filed multiple mercy petitions before the British government. The truth is he (Savarkar) did not file these petitions for his release,” Singh said at the launch of a book titled Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition on October 12. The book written by Uday Mahurkar and Chirayu Pandit has been published by Rupa publications.

#WATCH | Lies were spread about Savarkar. Time & again, it was said that he filed mercy petitions before British Govt seeking his release from jail... It was Mahatma Gandhi who asked him to file mercy petitions: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at launch of a book on Savarkar y'day pic.twitter.com/Pov4mI0Ieg

— ANI (@ANI) October 13, 2021

Savarkar was imprisoned for two terms of 50 years each for waging a war against the British King and the assassination of a government official. He was sent to the Cellular Jail in the Andamans in 1911.

“He did this exercising right of a prisoner to file a mercy petition. Mahatma Gandhi had asked him to file a petition,” Singh said at the book launch event held at Ambedkar International Centre. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also addressed the gathering.

READ: Don't teach us Hindutva, why no Bharat Ratna for Savarkar yet: Uddhav Thackeray to BJP

Singh said Savarkar, instead, inspired people to break the shackles of slavery and revolted against social evils such as untouchability. But yet his contribution to the cultural unity of the country was ignored, he said.

“Mahatma Gandhi had appealed that Savarkar should be released. He had said that the way we [Indian freedom fighters] are running a movement for freedom peacefully, so would Savarkar,” Singh said.