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'Give cheap fuel, not cheap comedy': Opposition takes on petroleum ministry over Gandhi-Savarkar poster; BJP reacts

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The Times Of Indiapublisher-detail-arrow
15th August, 2025 21:36 IST
A social media post by the oil ministry marking Independence Day has triggered a political storm, with the opposition accusing the Modi government of distorting history and glorifying “traitors” by placing V D Savarkar above Mahatma Gandhi .

The Congress reacted sharply. Party general secretary K C Venugopal posted on X, “Every Independence Day, the Modi-led BJP makes it a point to distort history and make heroes out of traitors.”

“This Orwellian image, elevating a British mercy petitioner like Savarkar over Gandhi ji - the undisputed Mahatma who got us freedom, and completely eliminating Pandit Nehru and Sardar Patel ji, shows their contempt for our freedom fighters.”

“What else can one except from those whose forefathers collaborated with the British to sow the seeds of division and hatred that haunts us to this very day?” the Congress leader further added.


Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera also took aim at the government, posting in Hindi, “While mixing ethanol in petrol, now you've started mixing impurities even in freedom fighters. Those who couldn't become great in history, you're making them big on posters.”

“The country is asking you for cheaper oil, not cheap comedy,” he further mocked the organisation.


BJP general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh hit back replying to Khera’s post, “Sick brigade to the core... Veer Savarkar lived and died for the country.”

Congress whip in the Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore wrote on X, “No matter how hard you try, Mr Modi, you can’t push Mahatma, Netaji & Bhagat Singh below Mafiveer. Don't disgrace the martyrs who fought and died for freedom by glorifying those who begged the British with apology letters.”


CPI(M) MP John Brittas also criticised the ministry’s post, saying, “The deliberate elevation of VD 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 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,” he further added.


Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, joined the criticism row, writing on X, “Shame on the Patroleum And Natural Gas Ministry for placing the traitor and murderer Savarkar above true patriots and martyrs. That to with money of the exchequer.”


What former PM Indira Gandhi thought of Savarkar
Amid the opposition’s criticism, BJP leader Amit Malviya recalled former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s message on the death of Veer Savarkar, highlighting her words of praise for him.

She said, “Veer Savarkar’s name has been a byword for daring and patriotism. He was cast in the mould of a classical revolutionary, and countless people drew inspiration from him. Death removes from our midst a great figure of contemporary India.”

"Malviya remarked that in their opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress has now disowned both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi," he further added.


Oil ministry's post
On Friday, the ministry of petroleum and natural gas shared a picture on X featuring Savarkar alongside Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singh, with the caption, “Freedom was their gift, shaping the future is our mission”.

The ministry’s message read “As we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s remember — liberty thrives when we nurture it every day, through unity, empathy, and action. Happy Independence Day.”


VD Savarkar row
The row over V D Savarkar also went to court this week. Earlier on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi’s lawyer withdrew a plea in a Pune court that said he was under threat from Savarkar’s followers.

Advocate Milind Pawar, representing Gandhi in a defamation case filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grand-nephew of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, said the Special MP/MLA Court had accepted the withdrawal.

Rahul Gandhi is out on bail in the defamation case, in which trial proceedings are yet to begin.

Satyaki Savarkar alleges the Congress leader defamed his great-uncle in a March 2023 speech in London, accusing V D Savarkar of writing that he and friends had once beaten a Muslim man and felt happy about it, a claim the complainant says is entirely false and unsupported by any writing.

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