Not against Savarkar, only his Hindutva ideology: Manmohan

Responding to a question about BJP poll promise of Bharat Ratna for VD Savarkar, senior Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that his party was not against the Hindu Mahasabha leader, but only opposed his Hindutva ideology.

Mumbai:Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that the Congress was not against VD Savarkar, but only opposed his Hindutva ideology.

Asked about the BJP's poll promise to seek Bharat Ratna for VD Savarkar, who was an accused in the Mahatma Gandhi assassination case but was acquitted, Singh said the Congress only opposes Savarkar's Hindutva ideology.

Referring to the Hindu Mahasabha leader with a reverential "Savarkar-ji", Singh said former Congress Prime Minister, late Indira Gandhi had issued a postal stamp in Savarkar's memory.

"(But) we are not in favour of the Hindutva ideology that Savarkar-ji patronised and stood for," Singh said.

Singh also added that Congress does not need anyone’s certificate about its patriotic credentials, as its record during the freedom struggle is well-known, he said, adding that the BJP or its parent RSS were not a part of the nationalist movement.

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