'Don't bow down': Sena rues Savarkar snub at Marathi Sahitya event, backs free speech

Amid the controversy around Marathi Sahitya Samellan, Shiv Sena via its Saamana, on Monday, explained what purpose the event served. Quoting the chief guest Javed Akhtar, Sena highlighted that the famous poet had advised people to 'write that which everyone fears to tell'. Drawing comparisons between Akhtar's words and Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's writings, Sena claimed both echoed 'do not bow down'.

Sena draws parallels between Javed Akhtar & Savarkar

Addressing Savarkar's sidelining, Sena rued, "Nashik is not just the birthplace of poet Kusumagraj, but also of Veer Savarkar. Like they had named Sahityanagari after Kusumagraj, atleast a hall or doorway could have been named after Savarkar, but he was kept away. 'Do not bow down' - what Akhtar said applies to the role Savarkar played in the Independence struggle".

Marathi Sahitya Sammelan issue

Controversy arose in the annual Marathi literary event in Nashik when there were some demands to name the venue of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan after freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar. The Hindu idealogue was born at Bhagur near Nashik in 1883. However, the organisers refused to do so and named it ‘Kusumagraj Nagari’ after the famous Marathi poet - late V V Shirwadkar - who went by the pen-name Kusumagraj.

Enraged at the 'snub' to Savarkar,  ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis and other BJP leaders boycotted the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan on Saturday. Stating that Savarkar's name was 'missing' from the literary event, Fadnavis pointed out that the Hindu idealogue was a poet, actor, journalist and historian. Fadnavis alleged that the current administration had insulted the RSS founder by refusing to name the event venue after him.

"Nashik is also the birthplace and workplace of the freedom fighters. He also presided over the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Marathi Natya Sammelan and the Marathi Press Association and is probably the only one who got all these three honours. We respect Kusumagraj on whom the venue was named. But aren't we reducing both leaders with their insistence on not naming them? Where our ideals are being insulted, then what even do we after going there?," said Fadnavis to reporters in Nashik.

Sena & Congress-NCP

Sena has often clashed with its ideological polar opposite Congress since the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance over issues like Hindutva, CAA, NRC, Ram Janmabhoomi, Savarkar, COVID-19 etc, with NCP playing the peacemaker. Congress has often mocked the RSS leader referring to the mercy petition filed by Savarkar when jailed by the British in Andaman jail. Sena, on the other hand, has batted for a Bharat Ratna for Savarkar and has said those insulting Savarkar should be jailed.