New Delhi, May 29: United Progressive Alliance leaders were missing from a function in the central hall of Parliament yesterday to mark the 121st birth anniversary of Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

National Democratic Alliance convener George Fernandes, the only high-profile socialist in the NDA camp, former deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and a number of other MPs took part in the function to honour the freedom fighter, Hindu Mahasabha founder and votary of a Hindu rashtra.

Non-NDA parties had kicked up a row on February 26 last year when President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had unveiled Savarkar’s portrait in the central hall, saying it was improper to honour a Hindutva proponent. They had boycotted the function, which was attended by top BJP leaders, including then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Ironically, Congress leader Shivraj Patil and the CPM’s Somnath Chatterjee were members of the parliamentary committee on statues and portraits that cleared Savarkar’s portrait.

A statue of the late Marxist veteran A.K. Gopalan has been lying in the Parliament library for the last year-and-a-half awaiting installation. But with the UPA assuming power and given the CPM’s clout in the government, Gopalan’s bronze statue, made at a cost of Rs 40 lakh, is likely to be unveiled during the budget session in July.

The NDA could boycott that function in a tit-for-tat move.

The CPI also has reason to rejoice for a statue of Satyapal A. Dange was among those approved by the joint parliamentary committee on statues last year.

The committee has cleared 11 other statues, including those of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, social reformer Jyotiba Phule, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Statues of Acharya Narendra Dev, Hemu Kalani, Ahilyabai Holkar and Devi Lal will also be installed, along with that of K.M. Munshi.

Last year, an 18-foot statue of Maratha warrior king Shivaji, atop a horse, was installed in the Parliament compound. The then Lok Sabha Speaker, Manohar Joshi, and top Shiv Sena brass played a big role in getting the statue installed.

Among those who paid tribute to Savarkar yesterday were Shiv Sena leader Chandrakant Khaire. Former MPs Balraj Madhok, Subramaniam Swamy and Anant Dave were also present.

G.C. Malhotra and Yogendra Narain, secretaries-general of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively, also paid floral tributes.

A Hindi and English booklet on Savarkar commissioned by the Lok Sabha secretariat was presented to those who were there at the function.