Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone of a new college in the name of the great freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Veer Savarkar in Delhi University. With this, politics has started on the name of Savarkar. Congress has started protesting on the name of Savarkar. Congress is advocating to name this college after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while the leftists are in favor of naming the college after the country's first teacher Savitribai Phule. The big question is why does Congress get upset over the name of Veer Savarkar?
The Congress leaders, who enjoyed power for decades in the country, are very disappointed and frustrated after the formation of the Modi government at the Center. The more they are struggling to return to power, in reality power is going further away from them. When the Congress party was in power, it shaped the country's politics according to the Nehru-Gandhi family for a long time. Everyone knows how Congress promoted nepotism, showed favoritism in naming the institutions of the country and marginalized leaders like Sardar Patel, Ambedkar and Lal Bahadur Shastri. Earlier Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi dominated the Congress and now the dominance of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi is clearly visible. This has limited the opportunity for talented leaders to move forward within the party. In trying to do politics only in the name of the Gandhi family, Congress has not only been badly defeated but has also gone to the abyss.
As long as Congress was in power, all the institutions, schemes and programs of the country were named after the members of the Gandhi-Nehru family. If we look at these names only in Delhi, we find Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indira Gandhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kamala Nehru College, Indira Gandhi National Cultural Centre, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Rajiv Chowk, Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan and many more roads, other buildings, squares, etc., which have been named after Congress leaders. Many schemes of the central and various state governments have also been named after the Nehru-Gandhi family. This glorification of Congress leaders has been done by sidelining our great freedom fighters and other big leaders.
Although Congress gets irritated when any building, institution or scheme is named after any non-Congress leader, but Congress leaders get most upset when Veer Savarkar is named. In fact, Congress, which is an expert in the game of appeasement, has a special animosity towards Hindutva. This is the reason why Congress does not even like the names of those great revolutionaries and leaders who have become symbols of Hindutva. The situation is such that from a small Congress worker to Rahul Gandhi, everyone is busy criticizing Veer Savarkar. Congress has not hesitated to tarnish Savarkar's image by accusing him of apologizing to the British, flattering colonial officials and insulting women, but despite the venom spewed by Congress, the nationalist public pays homage to Savarkar who devoted his entire life for the freedom of the country. Congress has no answer to the question that if Veer Savarkar was not fighting for the freedom of the country, then why did the British sentence him to life imprisonment twice? Why was Savarkar sentenced to Kala Pani and kept in the dungeons of Andaman? Why were Savarkar subjected to ruthless atrocities? As long as Congress was in power, it did not let the saga of bravery of great leaders like Savarkar come before the public. It put all its efforts to prove Nehru as the 'Yug Purush'. But Congress has no answer to why Nehru was never sentenced to Kala pani?
Congress never gave Savarkar and other great freedom fighters like him the respect they deserved and today when a college has been named after Savarkar, they are unable to digest this too.
The people of the country have now learnt to differentiate between Congress' appeasement and Veer Savarkar's great personality. People know that Congress has been opposing Hindutva and Hindu leaders only because of its policy of appeasement. People have not forgotten that in the year 2003, Congress had strongly opposed the installation of Savarkar's picture in the central hall of the old Parliament House. Congress had then argued that Savarkar was not an MP, so his picture should not be installed in the Parliament House. Whereas the reality is that before that, the pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak had been put up in the Parliament despite them not being MPs. Clearly, Congress had an objection to the picture of a great Hindu leader being put up in the Parliament.
Congress and leftists believe that the purpose behind naming the college after Savarkar is to promote polarization in the current political environment. It is being said that by doing this, an attempt is being made to impose its ideology in the field of education. But the question is that if people in the country do not follow the nationalist ideology, should they follow the path of appeasement, which the Congress likes? It is also being said that educational institutions should be kept away from politics. Such naming will affect the objective of education. The question is that when universities were named after Nehru and Indira Gandhi, would the objective of education not have been affected by it?
By blabbering over naming the college after Savarkar, the Congress is just doing politics. Naming the college after him is a tribute to Veer Savarkar as a freedom fighter and a token of gratitude towards him, which should be done repeatedly. Savarkar, who dedicated his life to the freedom struggle, should have received this honor long ago. Congress and the leftists may be doing politics on this issue, but the statement of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in this regard is worth noting. While addressing the first 'Samarpan Samaroh' of Delhi University Foundation, he rightly said that Savarkar was a great nationalist but a section of the society has a colonial mindset, which objects to the naming of a DU college after him. Pradhan said that we do not want to change history, but want to make history bigger. History is a mirror for the future and DU is playing a big role in it.
What the Union Education Minister has said is absolutely correct. If we take pride in great revolutionaries like Savarkar, then certainly our history will become bigger and its glory will increase. Why only one college, various universities, colleges, prestigious institutions, institutions, schools, airports, bus stations, railway stations in the country should also be named after Savarkar and other great men and freedom fighters. This will not only felicitate great personalities but will also give direction to our young generation. During the rule of Congress, history has been distorted by the leftists. Foreign invaders are called great. On the contrary, if today Savarkar is being given this honour under the BJP rule, then it is a matter of pride for the entire countrymen. Certainly, the name of Veer Savarkar will inspire the students and make them aware of their history. Naming the college after Savarkar is a symbol of correct evaluation of historical personalities. It should not be made a subject of meaningless debate and controversy.