Pass on Veer Savarkar’s legacy, real history to coming generations, says BJP leader B L Santhosh

PTI, Jan 5, 2025, 8:45 AM IST

B L Santosh (PTI / File)

Chennai: Alleging that a narrative was set in the country that India got freedom due to a ‘certain set of people’ and a ‘movement,’ BJP national organising general secretary B L Santosh on Saturday appealed to the people to pass on to the coming generations the life and legacy of freedom fighters like the visionary Veer Savarkar.

He claimed that a political ecosystem had made three or four generations of people believe that leaders like Subash Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Swami Vivekananda didn’t exist. “It is an irony that a book on Veer Savarkar had to be written to portray his contribution to the Indian freedom struggle,” Santhosh said after releasing a book on Savarkar’s life authored by Tamil Nadu BJP secretary S G Suryah at a function here.

“The kind of struggle, dedication, and sacrifice of Savarkar did not appear to suit certain people who had the going easy on the freedom struggle in terms of round table conferences and negotiations with the British,” Santhosh alleged.

He claimed that “a kind of narrative was set to make the people believe that we got our freedom because of a certain set of people and a movement.” The BJP leader said Savarkar, who was jailed for 27 years, was a visionary leader and a writer who inspired the people and encouraged them to join the Indian armed forces – a move that was countered with a claim that Indians would be used in the Second World War. But his strategic move made the Indian army, navy, and air force formidable with a sizable presence of Indians in the armed forces when India won her freedom, Santhosh said.

Congratulating Suryah for his efforts in attempting to highlight the contribution of Savarkar to a greater audience, Santhosh urged the people to pass on the life, legacy, and real history of the freedom struggle to the coming generations.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai who received the first copy of the book in Tamil at the event held under the aegis of the Chennai Citizens’ Forum, said freedom fighter Veer Savarkar endured pain in the Cellular Jail in Andaman. His consistent fight was against caste bias, besides he favoured equality.

“Books like these bring historical accuracy about our great freedom fighters like Savarkar to the current generation in our language, helping the youth of our state understand his life, struggles, and progressive vision in detail,” Annamalai said.

BJP Mahila Morcha national president Vanathi Srinivasan said, “This book will counter the false campaign against Savarkar in Tamil Nadu and will introduce the true history of the great leader.”