Savarkar was social reformer, unfortunate that chapter on him dropped from school syllabus: Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari. File Pic

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar was a social reformer and patriot, and it was unfortunate that chapters on him and RSS founder K B Hedgewar were being removed from school syllabus, reported news agency PTI.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was speaking at the launch of the book "Veer Savarkar" in Nagpur on Saturday.

It was unfortunate that a person (Savarkar) and his family who gave everything for the country had to face insults, Gadkari said.

Savarkar had said Hindutva is all inclusive and free from casteism and communalism, Gadkari pointed out.

"Savarkar was a social reformer, and he is a role model for us," he said.

Without naming anyone, Gadkari said it was very unfortunate that chapters on Dr Hedgewar and Savarkar were being removed from school syllabus, and "there is nothing as painful as this," reported PTI

The Congress government in Karnataka recently kicked up a row by removing chapters on Savarkar and Hedgewar from school textbooks.

Gadkari recalled that when a national leader with whom he enjoyed good relations criticised Savarkar, he told the leader that one should not criticise Savarkar without knowing about him.

The leader was convinced and said he would not comment on Savarkar henceforth, Gadkari said.

The Indian and Hindu culture propagated by Savarkar and Swami Vivekananda was the same, the BJP leader said, adding the young generation should be made aware of their ideology and also the sacrifices made by Savarkar for the country.

Earlier, Nitin Gadkari had said that a politician once advised him to join the Congress, to which he replied that he would rather die by jumping into a well than becoming a member of that party.

The Minister of Road Transport and Highways also claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government carried out twice the amount of work in the country in the last nine years as compared to what the Congress did in the 60 years of its rule.

Addressing a gathering in Maharashtra's Bhandara on Friday to mark completion of nine years of the Narendra Modi government, Gadkari recalled his initial days of working for the BJP and talked about the party's journey.

He also recalled the advice once given by late Congress leader Shrikant Jichkar.

"Jichkar once told me - 'You are a very good party worker and leader, and if you join the Congress, you will have a bright future'. But I told him that I would rather jump into a well than join the Congress because I have strong faith in the BJP and its ideology and will continue to work for it," Gadkari said.

He also hailed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for instilling values in him in his younger days when he worked for the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the RSS.
Talking about the Congress, the minister said the party got split many times since its formation.

"We should not forget the history of our country's democracy. We should learn from the past for the future. During its 60 years of rule, the Congress gave the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' (eliminate poverty), but opened a series of educational institutions for personal gains," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)