Jaipur, Aug 9 (PTI) Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra on Monday said Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar”s demand for a Hindu nation was not a sin before independence but the BJP and the RSS are using that ideology even today to make brothers fight against each other.
He also claimed that the country got independence because of people who believed in the ideology of the Congress.
Dotasra was addressing a function organised at the Congress headquarters here to mark the anniversary of the Quit India Movement.
“We do not deny that Savarkar participated in the freedom struggle. But the kind of ideology, work and thoughts he had, if we read them in history books, then we find that he talked about a Hindu nation, which was not a sin. At that time, our country was not free and the Constitution was not in force,” the Congress leader said.
“After our country became independent, the Constitution was adopted and people of every caste and religion accepted it. Despite this, the BJP and the RSS are conspiring to use his (Savarkar”s) ideology to make brothers fight against each other. We are against this,” he said.
Dotasra said, “We have to understand that Savarkar went to jail at that time and no one can deny this. But, after going to jail, he urged the British four times to set him free, explaining his usefulness to the British. It is recorded in history books.”
Reacting to Dotasra”s remarks, BJP spokesperson Ram Lal Sharma said the Congress state president has accepted Savarkar”s contribution to the freedom struggle.
He said whatever Dotasra said further is due to political compulsion. PTI
This story first appeared on outlookindia.com
