Goa CM Pramod Sawant hails Savarkar for exposing West propaganda

PANAJI: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Sunday said Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, the controversial proponent of ‘Hindutva’ political ideology, was the first to debunk Western propaganda painting India poor and backward through his writings.

Speaking as chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the Kumaon Literary Festival (KLF), Sawant said propaganda has been thrust in the name of history by the West.

He added that Savarkar, through his book ‘1857 ka Swatantra Samar’ challenged the might of the British Empire and wrote about the glorious patriotism and was the first to debunk the demeaning propaganda about India by the West.

“They thought that we are the land of snake charmers, they thought that we were the country of the poor. But my question is, did they invade us because we are poor? The answer is definitely no,” Sawant said, adding that History should be ‘fact-driven’ rather than ‘opinion driven’.

‘Savarkar (Part 2): A Contested Legacy, 1924-1966’ the book written by Savarkar biographer and historian Vikram Sampath, was released at the function earlier.

According to Sampath, who also spoke, his research for the book on Savarkar has drawn from lakhs of documents sources from archives in London, Paris and Berlin and pieces together the story of a “this much maligned and misunderstood patriot and a brave son of mother India”.

Sampath said, Savarkar was freedom fighter who suffered the worst of excesses and tortures in the Andaman prison.

“(He was a) rationalist to the core, sensitive poet, writer, philosopher, theatre playwright, amateur historian, journalist, a man who wore so many different hats,” the author said.

Sampath also referred to Savarkar being named an accused in Mahatma Gandhi’s murder saying he was honourably exonerated from the case in numerous courts and on numerous occasions.

‘Savarkar’s book to be circulated in Goa’PANAJI: The book on the plight of Goans and the need to liberate Goa ‘Gomantak’ written by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar will be re-printed and circulated in libraries across Goa, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.“We will circulate the books in all libraries in Goa,” Sawant said, adding that along with ‘Gomantak’ his other book ‘Swatantrya Samar’ will also be translated and made available in English, Marathi and Konkani.

This news is reported by The Goan. To read more GOA news visit The Goan.