Uproar in Parliament over Veer Savarkar issue

Aiyar refuses to apologise, BJP gears up to raise issue in Maharashtra polls

The issue of the 'removal' of freedom fighter Veer Savarkar's name and quotation from a memorial set up in the Andaman Nicobar Islands, disrupted proceedings in both the Houses of Parliament yesterday.

From the question hour onwards, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) and Shiv Sena members questioned the government on its role in the removal of any mention of Savarkar's name from the Swatantra Jyot memorial.

Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee said the memorial had been set up by the Indian Oil Foundation, and that the government had no involvement in the matter. This explanation did not satisfy Leader of the Opposition L K Advani.

Advani said that as the petroleum minister was the chairman of the foundation, the act of removing Savarkar's name would be seen as a government act.

Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who had earlier said Savarkar's credential's were suspect due to his alleged involvement in Mahatma Gandhi's assaisination, said his views were his own and not those of the government.

"If the Opposition wants a personal version of events, I am ready to speak to them," he said.

The BJP in its reply said Aiyar was the chairman of the IOF by virtue of being the petroleum minister.

"He can give the 'personal explanation' in the Lok Sabha as he is a member, but in the Rajya Sabha he will have to speak as a minister," said Sushma Swaraj.

The matter appears to be reaching a dead end with neither side willing to give ground. According to Swaraj, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had asked for proof that Savarkar's name had been removed.

"The sculptor Uttam Pacharane has filed an affidavit saying that his original design had Savarkar's name and quotation, and that the design had been tampered with," said Swaraj.

Aiyar on his part remained adamant. "I will not apologise for holding strong personal opinions," he said.

Matters finally came to a head when Janata Dal (United) leader Prabhunath Singh and RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) MP R K Rana got into a verbal duel on the issue. The House was finally adjourned for the day when unparliamentary language was used by Singh against Rana.

The issue assumes significance in view of the fact that Savarkar was a popular figure in Maharashtra. With Assembly polls coming up in the state, both the BJP and the Shiv Sena are all set to milk the issue as much as possible.

According to sources within the government, Maratha strongman Sharad Pawar and Shivraj Patil are worried about the impact of the issue in their respective turfs.

In fact Maharashtra Congress chief Prabah Rau has said on record that "freedom fighters should be honoured, not insulted". This shows that electoral compulsions are weighing heavy in the state.

The final blow was dealt by the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati who ruled out any tie-up with the Congress-NCP combine in Vidarbha. Sources claim that Mayawati has started fancying her own party's chances in the region as being good and does not want to saddle herself with a combine that is battling anti-incumbency as well as this emotive issue.