The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad will celebrate the birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar at Jadavpur University.
The ABVP’s JU unit on Monday wrote to the university vice-chancellor seeking permission to observe “Veer Savarkar Jayanti” on May 28.
The letter, signed by Nikhil Das, president of the ABVP’s JU unit, and unit secretary Sanjiban Dip Barman, said the programme would include floral tributes and a discussion “highlighting the life, ideals and contribution of Veer Savarkar towards the nation and society”.
“We want to celebrate the birth anniversary of this icon of nationalism and Hindutva. JU was born out of a spirit of nationalism. On such a campus, we must celebrate the life and works of Savarkar,” Das, a research scholar, said.
“Bengal has been the land of Syama Prasad Mookerjee. In Bengal, we need to honour Savarkar,” he added.
Mookerjee founded the Jana Sangh, which later became the BJP.
Savarkar is a controversial figure. Critics say he helped the British and wrote mercy petitions to secure his release from the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands.
Earlier this month, Savarkar’s grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, told a Pune court during the hearing of a criminal defamation case that Savarkar had filed five mercy petitions with the British administration.
Das, president of the ABVP’s JU unit, said: “A few days ago, one of his descendants did say that Savarkar had filed a mercy petition. But that is far from the truth. The Left and Congress ecosystem have always sought to run a smear campaign against him. We need to tell people about his contribution towards nationalism.”
Political analyst Maidul Islam said the planned celebration suggested “an ideological transformation” in Bengal’s political landscape.
“There has been a concerted effort through the RSS ecosystem over the past 15 years to push Hindu icons, Hindu identity and the Hindutva agenda in Bengal. The ABVP had earlier tried to force its way into JU. This time, because of the ideological transformation, the ABVP has been able to open its unit in Jadavpur,” Maidul told Metro.
“What is interesting is that instead of a Bengali icon, a Marathi figure is receiving this kind of prominence. Did they celebrate the birth anniversary of Raja Rammohon Roy, observed on May 22, or Kazi Nazrul Islam on May 24?” Maidul said.
JU vice-chancellor Chiranjib Bhattacharjee declined to comment on the proposed programme but said: “One should not do anything controversial during the celebration.”
In its letter, the ABVP said the event would be conducted in a “peaceful and disciplined manner”.
Das said the programme might be deferred because the campus would remain closed on May 28 on account of Eid.