Bharat Ratna for Savarkar is an essential piece of Hindutva mosaic

In its manifesto for the Maharashtra state legislature elections, the BJP has promised to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civil award, posthumously, on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

The Modi election machine has once again led the Opposition and critics of its regime on a merry dance by invoking a controversial Hindutva icon. In its manifesto for the Maharashtra state legislature elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promises to confer Bharat Ratna, the highest civil award, posthumously, on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It is pertinent to note that the Bharat Ratna is not awarded by the Maharashtra state government. It is a national award conferred by those who rule at the Centre.
 
Savarkar’s portrait was already installed in the Central Hall of Indian Parliament in 2003 by the