NEW DELHI: BJP president JP Nadda on Wednesday hailed Veer Damodar Savarkar as one of the greatest freedom fighters, saying he fought bravely against the British regime all his life and sacrificed each moment in service of the motherland.“Savarkar was a visionary, a great hero of the freedom movement and I feel blessed to take part in an event in his memory,” Nadda said addressing a gathering through video-conferencing on the 54th death anniversary of the saffron ideologue at Ambedker Research Centre. Nadda was the chief guest for the event but could not come due to family engagements.The NJP chief said Savarkar was a role model, a revolutionary and an ideology in himself and his dedication for the motherland was inspirational. “He (Savarkar) was one of the pioneers of a meaningful thinking. He shook the British by his flawless review of history. He was unique among revolutionaries,” he said.Speaking on the occasion, actor-director Srirang Godbole said the government must name a nuclear submarine after Savarkar. “Why not INS Savarkar, INS Munje and INS Subhash?” he said.The two-day conference commemorated Savarkar’s social, political, religious and ideological works with speakers being unanimously saying that he was castigated despite his contribution to the country.Union culture and tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel said, “If evaluation of work and role has to be done, it should be done for all. Savarkar did not get his due but it is our duty that we must strive to get him his due.”Former Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh governor O P Kohli said Savarkar was the person who had first recognised 1857 movement as the “First War of Independence” and made Hinduism synonymous with nationalism. Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta said besides many other qualities of Savarkar, his being a political Hindu caused annoyance among many, especially Congress and other political outfits.