Ranjeet Savarkar, grandson of Veer Savarkar | Photo Credit: ANI

Mumbai: Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar's grandson Ranjeet Savarkar on Friday endorsed the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) demand to confer the Bharat Ratna to his grandfather. He argued that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was a follower of Savarkar and that one cannot find a man more secular than Savarkar.

While speaking to media, Ranjeet Savarkar said, "Indira Gandhi honoured Veer Savarkar, I strongly feel she was his follower because she brought Pakistan to its knees, strengthened the Army and foreign relations. She also did nuclear tests. All this is against Nehru and Gandhi's philosophy."

Ranjeet was speaking in the wake of former PM Manmohan Singh's comments on BJP's promise to give Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar. On Thursday, Singh had said, "Congress is not against Veer Savarkar but the question is, we are not in favour of Hindutva ideology that Savarkar patronised and stood for."

Even AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has slammed the BJP for mulling over the idea of conferring the highest civilian award to the freedom fighter who went through rigorous imprisonment and torture at the Cellular Jail in the Andamans but is now known more as a Hindutva ideologue. The Hyderabad MP said that if Bharat Ratna is given to Savarkar, then it should be given to Godse as well.

Hitting back at Owaisi, Ranjeet Savarkar said, "Owaisi should follow Savarkar's belief that keep religion in your house. When outside, you are not Hindu or Muslim but Indian. Savarkar expected all who enter the Parliament to keep caste, religion, sex, etc out. You won't find a more secular man than Savarkar."

Earlier on Wednesday during an election rally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asserted that Savarkar’s values will be the basis for the nation-building process. BJP Maharashtra had earlier this week sought the Bharat Ratna for Savarkar in its poll manifesto for the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly elections.