Surendranagar: A Tiranga Yatra carried out by students in Sangani village, Chotila, has been dragged into controversy by Congress party, as the students were seen wearing saffron t-shirts with pictures of the great freedom fighters Veer Savarkar and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The Congress party, whose ‘Nyay Yatra’ was passing through Chotila, opined that today Savarkar, tomorrow, if they provide T-shirts of Godse and Dawood, will the school make them wear that?

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home Affairs Harsh Sanghavi took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, “Neither the Congress nor the leaders seen in the video are qualified to give a certificate of patriotism to Veer Savarkarji. Taking children’s t-shirts to the Tiranga Yatra at Surendranagar is highly reprehensible. These people who insulted Veer Savarkarji and leader Subhash Chandra Boseji have been booked under Sections 126(2), 189(3), 221, 197(c)(d), 352, and 353 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita.”

વીર સાવરકરજીને દેશભક્તિનું પ્રમાણપત્ર આપવાની લાયકાત કોંગ્રેસ કે વિડીયોમાં નજરે પડતા નેતાઓની નથી.

સુરેન્દ્રનગર ખાતે તિરંગા યાત્રામાં બાળકોના ટીશર્ટ લઇ લેવા તે અતિ નિંદનીય બાબત છે.

વીર સાવરકરજી અને નેતા સુભાષચંદ્ર બોઝજીનું અપમાન કરનાર આ લોકો પર આજે ભારતીય ન્યાય સંહિતાની કલમ… https://t.co/VTJwXzkEJ4

— Harsh Sanghavi (@sanghaviharsh) August 14, 2024

Lalji Desai, National President (Chief Organiser) of Congress Sevadal, expressed outrage, stating that the children’s school uniforms have been overshadowed by the saffron t-shirts featuring Savarkar’s image. He further criticized the situation, asking whether the children should wear t-shirts of Gandhiji or those of RSS’s Savarkar. Desai accused the principal and teachers of a school of making students wear the saffron t-shirts featuring Savarkar, who was allegedly involved in a conspiracy to assassinate Gandhiji. He questioned, “Tomorrow, if they provide you with a T-shirt of Godse or Dawood, will you make them wear that?”

Protesting the t-shirts, Naushad Solanki, President of the Surendranagar District Congress Committee and Former MLA, wrote a letter to the District Collector sand said, “this is to inform you that as part of a conspiracy to erase the names of Gandhi and Sardar Patel from Gujarat of Gandhi and Sardar, saffron-colored t-shirts with Savarkar’s picture are being distributed to school children in Surendranagar district on the occasion of Independence Day. Gujarat is the birthplace and workplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. Despite this, t-shirts with Savarkar’s photo, instead of Gandhi and Sardar Patel, are being distributed as part of a conspiracy. This has hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat. Therefore, we request an immediate ban on such t-shirts and ask that t-shirts with pictures of Gandhi and Sardar Patel be provided instead.”

गुजरात के सुरेंद्रनगर जिले के सांगणी गाँव में तिरंगा यात्रा को कांग्रेस के लोकल नेताओं ने रोका .. तिरंगा यात्रा निकाल रहे बच्व्चों द्वारा पहने T-shirts उतरवाए गए क्योकि उन पर वीर सावरकर की तस्वीर छपी थी , उस T-shirt पर सुभाषचंद्र बोज़ की तस्वीर भी छपी हुई थी .. #NewsUpdates… pic.twitter.com/bvhQU13xs3

— Nirnay Kapoor (@nirnaykapoor) August 14, 2024

As the controversy escalated, the principal of the school stated that these t-shirts were given by donors. During the incident, the police had to intervene and instructed the children to remove the saffron t-shirts.

Who was Veer Savarkar?

Veer Savarkar, born Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1883, was a prominent Indian freedom fighter, activist, and writer. Educated in Mumbai and later in England, Savarkar became deeply involved in revolutionary activities against British colonial rule. At the age of 16, in 1899, Savarkar formed a group named Mitra Mela, which later became known as Abhinava Bharat, with the sole aim of attaining complete political independence for India.

Savarkar endured a harsh period of imprisonment for his anti-British activities. In 1910, he was sentenced to two life terms, totaling 50 years, for his involvement with the revolutionary organization, India House. He was confined to the infamous Kala Pani (Cellular Jail) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He was the only Indian freedom fighter who was sentenced to two life terms.

During his time in jail, he faced severe hardships, including being yoked to oil mills like bulls and being denied even basic necessities such as water. Savarkar was imprisoned in Cellular Jail from 1910 to 1921, then spent time in Ratnagiri Jail from 1921 to 1924, before being placed under house arrest in Ratnagiri from 1924 to 1937. Later, in 1937, he was elected as the President of the Hindu Mahasabha during its Ahmedabad session.

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