Veer Savarkar: A British Stooge Or A Patriot?

28th May marks the birth anniversary of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the most controversial leader or a freedom fighter in some people’s eyes. Also known as Veer Savarkar by his ardent followers, some people call him a patriot while some call him a staunch Hindu nationalist. Those who think he was a Hindu nationalist, also believe he was a British stooge. He was the president of ultra right-wing group, Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha, and his critics and followers have differing opinions about him. Let’s take a look:

What The Critics Say

1. He was a staunch Hindu nationalist who dreamt of making India a Hindu nation. He criticised Gandhi and his ideas of Hinduism and secularism. He was also the founder of Hindutva ideology – which is anti-minority, anti- humanity and anti-establishment.

2. In his book “Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History”, he has justified political rapes, and also called Christians and Muslims “invaders”, and Parsis and Jews “guests”. He did not support the acts of saving Muslim and Christian women who were “enemies” by Shivaji Maharaj and Diwan Chimnajirao Ballad. He believed that if we want to save our women from the invaders, then we have to do same thing to their women that those men were doing to our women. That’s the most shameful thing one can ever hear.

3. He was an accused in the murder of the great leader Mahatma Gandhi. The assassin Nathuram Gopal Godse, and many others were the members of his organisation.

4. He had written mercy petitions to the British and promised to support them in future.

5. He was casteist. He supported the views presented in Manusmriti, a book filled with anti-Dalit and anti-women thoughts.

6. Savarkar also supported the idea of Partition by accepting that there are two nations in India.

7. He also asked Hindus to join the British Indian army in World War II to support them, and he was also against the Quit India movement.

The list goes on…

What The Followers Say

1 He was a staunch supporter of Lokmanya Shri Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and he was one of the supporters of Swarajya and Swadeshi.

2. He accepted the idea of two nations, but never accepted partition. The proof of the same can be found in the book, “Partition of India and Pakistan” by Dr BR Ambedkar, where Ambedkar writes that both Jinnah and Savarkar admitted that there are two nations in India – one for Hindus and one for Muslims. But Jinnah was in favour of partition, unlike Savarkar, who wanted Muslims to live under the Hindu nation with full support.

3. In October 1913, Sir Reginald H. Craddock, who met Savarkar in Port Blair jail, said in his report, that even after writing mercy petition he did not think Savarkar regretted what he did against the British.

4. In 1917’s mercy petition, Savarkar requested the British to release all political prisoners except him. If they got released I will be as much happy as I will be at my release, he wrote.

5. Savarkar was not a casteist, because in 1927 he started the anti-caste movement in Ratnagiri by convincing the priests of the temple to allow untouchables to enter the temples which was earlier restricted.

6. In 1928, Mahatma Gandhi visited Ratnagiri where he praised Savarkar’s anti-caste movement, and was also impressed by his commitment for India’s freedom.

7. He asked Hindus to join the army so that Netaji Bose could get more and more soldiers for his Indian national army, for which Netaji praised Savarkar on Azad Hind radio in April 1944.

Arguments in favour and against Savarkar seem to have a balance. It’s for you to decide whether he was a leader/freedom fighter or a coward/British agent