Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday tweeted supporting Bharat Ratna for Kushal Konwar, a martyr of the Quit India Movement.
“We demand Bharat Ratna for Kushal Konwar, a martyr of the Quit India Movement in Assam,” the former CM tweeted.
“Konwar is more fit for the country’s top award than Veer Savarkar, upon whom the BJP had promised to confer Bharat Ratna ahead of the Assembly election in Maharashtra,” he added.
In another tweet, Gogoi wrote, “Savarkar is an accused in the conspiracy case to eliminate Mahatma Gandhi.”
“I think Kushal Konwar, who had embraced martyrdom during the Quit India Movement, deserves Bharat Ratna,” Gogoi added.
We demand Bharat Ratna for Kushal Konwar, a martyr of the Quit India Movement in Assam. Konwar is more fit for the country’s top award than Veer Savarkar, upon whom the BJP had promised to confer Bharat Ratna ahead of the Assembly election in Maharashtra.
— Tarun Gogoi (@tarun_gogoi) October 23, 2019
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently pledged to confer Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar.
This was also reiterated by union home minister Amit Shah while speaking at an event in Varanasi.
BJP’s Bharat Ratna claim to Savarkar found support from Congress’ Abhishek Singhvi, who on Monday said VD Savarkar was an “accomplished man”.
“He was an accomplished man and played a part in the freedom struggle, fought for Dalit rights and went to jail for the country,” Singhvi said.
“I personally don’t subscribe to Savarkar’s ideology but that doesn’t take away the fact that he was an accomplished man,” he added.