The Hindi booklet, distributed at a camp of Congress-affiliated Seva Dal in Madhya Pradesh, had also claimed that Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse were in a physical relationship. The book alleged that Savarkar received money from the British after he was released from Andaman's Cellular Jail.
Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the BJP-led government needs to seriously think about the path it wants to take on the issue in the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday.
'Savarkar was the closest the RSS had to a freedom movement icon, however flawed.' 'Indira Gandhi wasn't going to gift him to them.' 'And a non-career politician like Dr Singh understands it.' 'It is just that his party never listened to him,' says Shekhar Gupta.
Earning goodwill of the people of Jammu & Kashmir was necessary before such a move, the former prime minister said.
The ruling Mahayuti members in both houses of the Maharashtra legislature condemned state Congress head Harshvardhan Sapkal's remarks comparing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and demanded strict action against him. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said the remarks will be verified and action will be taken accordingly as per the law. The state legislative council witnessed an uproar after the ruling Mahayuti members raised the issue of Sapkal's remarks, and the proceedings were suspended for 10 minutes. BJP group leader Pravin Darekar said comparing the chief minister to Aurangzeb is a highly condemnable act and an insult to Maharashtra. He also demanded that a case be filed against Sapkal and strict action be taken to set an example.
The busts of the trio were installed on August 20 by outgoing DUSU president Shakti Singh without taking permission from the varsity authorities. They were removed on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
The PM said the Congress and its allies should not encourage the "Pakistan agenda" and speak the language of separatists.
One of the other key takeaways of the manifesto is setting up a separate maintenance department for the national and state highways, where repairs and other works are currently done by the road construction contractors.
"We have always rejected Savarkar's ideology and political philosophy....his was a divisive ideology. We are consistent and firm in its rejection. We don't need to revise our opinion," Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said.
'One hopes the younger generation sees Savarkar him for what he was and does not view him through a distorted prism.' 'This is the least one could do for someone who devoted his whole life to Indian freedom struggle, elimination of caste, succour to Dalits, and instilling of strategic culture in India,' says Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
The Veer Savarkar issue rocked both Houses of Parliament for the third consecutive day on Thursday as the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party members demanded an apology from Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.
The Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre and in Maharashtra, has since long been demanding the highest civilian award for Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, who spent the prime of his life at the Cellular Jail in Andaman after being sentenced to life.
Mumbai Bharatiya Janata Party chief Ashish Shelar attacked the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi ahead of his upcoming visit to Maharashtra and sought an apology for his remarks on 'reservation ' and 'Veer Savarkar'.
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday bowed to the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party combine's demand to install a portrait of freedom fighter, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, in the central hall of the state legislature in Mumbai.
Nationalist Congress Party leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday didn't join his cabinet colleagues Devendra Fadnavis and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in visiting the Nagpur-based memorial of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founder.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf offers a ready reckoner on Javed Akhtar's great great grandfather Fazl e Haq Khairabadi who fought the British empire during the 1857 Mutiny and was imprisoned in the Cellular Jail in Port Blair.
'Everyone should understand that Laapataa Ladies is not the only best film in India.' 'It is one of the best films out of these 29 entries.'
The party, however, acknowledged that Savarkar had made a contribution to the freedom movement.
'He surprised us by telling us he wanted to make a career in acting.' 'We were scared since we knew nothing of this profession but then, he landed a role in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.' 'After seeing him holding his own on screen, we decided to let the boy pursue his passion.'
'It is wrong to put Savarkar's portrait in Parliament. Young people should not be told to emulate him as their role model,' says historian Bipan Chandra.
'Jaat is not just a community, an agent, or an individual; it's an emotion.'
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a scathing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on B.R. Ambedkar in Parliament. Siddaramaiah said Shah would have been a "Gujari" (scrap dealer) if there wasn't Ambedkar's Constitution. He also criticized Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar for not taking action against Shah for his comments. The Congress leader further accused the BJP and Sangh Parivar of hating Ambedkar and the Constitution. Siddaramaiah also recalled the RSS's opposition to the Constitution and Ambedkar in the past, citing articles from the RSS mouthpiece 'Organiser' and Golwalkar's book "Bunch of Thought."
The birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, whose political influence has surged with the passage of time, on Monday was marked by bitter trading of charges between the ruling BJP and opposition parties as they fought for his legacy.
"It was Veer Savarkar who first mooted the idea of a two-nation theory which was later adopted by Muhammad Ali Jinnah," Singh told reporters.
Barely hours after the Bandra-Worli sea link was named 'Rajiv Gandhi Setu', the move drew criticism from Opposition Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance, which favoured it being named after Swatantrayaveer Savarkar.
There was so much glamour on the red carpet at the Zee Cine awards held in Mumbai on Sunday, March 10!
Whatever Mani Shanker Aiyar has said, 'we don't agree with it as he has said it in his individual capacity', Ghulam Nabi Azad said.
The entire opposition, including the BJPs ally the Bahujan Samaj Party, boycotted the function saying that they did not want to 'give credibility' to the activities and 'divisive policies' of Savarkar.
Rahul Gandhi is neither Congress president, office-bearer nor Congress leader in Parliament. This technical leeway provides adequate cover for Shiv Sena-Congress ties taking a nosedive, says Rasheed Kidwai.
May offers a mix of original Web series and digital movie premieres on OTT.
The opposition has requested President Kalam not to attend a ceremony in Centra Hall of Paliament where the portrait will be unveiled.
Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award at a ceremony in Mumbai's Dinanath Mangeshkar Natyagrih.
Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies has been picked as India's official entry for Oscars 2025.
'Elections and audience interest in specific movies are often independent factors.'
The Upper House did not transact any business and was adjourned for the day.
Parliament proceedings were adjourned amid ruckus and sloganeering by the Opposition members over the Adani issue.
