Savarkar Over Gandhi: Govt's Independence Day Poster Sparks Outrage
New Delhi: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday shared an Independence Day poster featuring the image of controversial Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar visibly above Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose, sparking a political row for sideling freedom fighters while elevating a man who issued public apology to Britishers for his release from jail.
Critics believe that the apparently visible placing of V.D. Savarkar over Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders is a calculated and deliberate attempt by the ruling BJP dispensation to change the course of the history.
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Congress leader KC Venugopal, slammed the government poster, noting that it elevated a British mercy petitioner like Savarkar over Gandhi, who is the undisputed Mahatma and who got the people freedom. He also noticed the complete elimination of leaders such as Vallabhai Patel, showing contempt for the freedom fighters.
CPMI MP John Brittas said the government’s actions undermined the nation’s commitment to its secular constitution, highlighting that Savarkar was accused of Gandhi’s assassination, though acquitted due to insufficient evidence. However, the Kapur Commission highlighted circumstantial evidence implicating Savarkar. “Those who uphold the constitution should unequivocally condemn this mockery of justice and secular values,” the MP wrote on X.
The deliberate elevation of V.D. Savarkar over Mahatma Gandhi is not a coincidence but a calculated act. The government’s actions undermine the nation’s commitment to its secular constitution. It is pertinent to note that Savarkar was an accused in Gandhi’s assassination, though… pic.twitter.com/hSZ6mpkW4G
— John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) August 15, 2025
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The controversial poster shared by the Petroleum Ministry contained photographs of the Mahatma, Bose, Singh and Savarkar, the Red Fort, the tricolor and the Ashoka Chakra, with a “Happy Independence Day” wish.
