PM Modi, VP Naidu pay tributes to Savarkar on his birth anniversary
New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid tributes to Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar on his birth anniversary, saying he motivated several people to join the freedom struggle.
"On his Jayanti, I bow to the courageous Veer Savarkar. We remember him for his bravery, motivating several others to join the freedom struggle and emphasis on social reform," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
He also shared a clip of his May, 2018 "Mann ki Baat" radio programme in which he had referred to Savarkar.
"It is indeed sad that we kept on calling the events of 1857 only as a rebellion or a soldiers' mutiny for a very long time. It was Veer Savarkar who boldly expostulated by writing that whatever happened in 1857 was not a revolt but was indeed the First War of Independence, he had said.
Naidu described Savarkar as a multi-dimensional personality - a freedom fighter, social reformer, writer and a political thinker.
"Savarkar envisioned a casteless India and started one of the most powerful social reform movements against untouchability," the vice president said in a series of tweets.
During imprisonment in the Cellular Jail, Savarkar was subjected to harsh treatment and solitary confinement, Naidu recalled.
"His indomitable spirit and commitment to free his motherland from foreign oppression will be always remembered," he said.
Today's youth must take inspiration from his life and ideals and strive to build a strong, prosperous and inclusive India, Naidu said.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born in 1883.
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Kolkata Port: Decline in number of voters during SIR brings in uncertainty in TMC bastion
Kolkata (PTI): A sharp decline in the number of voters following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has injected an element of uncertainty into the Kolkata Port Assembly constituency, considered a safe seat for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).
The electorate in the south Kolkata constituency has dropped from 2.36 lakh in the 2021 Assembly polls to around 1.75 lakh, a fall of nearly 26 per cent, prompting political parties to closely assess its potential impact on the April 29 polling.
The TMC re-nominated senior minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, who has held the seat for two consecutive terms, while the BJP fielded Rakesh Singh. The Congress nominated Aquib Gulzar, and the CPI(M) put up Faiyaz Ahmad Khan, making it a four-cornered contest.
Kolkata Port, part of the Kolkata Dakshin parliamentary constituency, comprises dock areas, old business districts and densely populated neighbourhoods. Muslim voters form a significant segment of the electorate, alongside traders, transport workers and working-class Hindu families.
The reduction in voter numbers has prompted party workers across formations to scrutinise the revised rolls booth-wise to identify deletions and assess whether specific localities have been affected.
Singh’s candidature has added a twist to the contest. He had earlier contested against Hakim as a Congress candidate but is now in the fray on a BJP ticket.
Hakim won the seat in 2016 by 26,548 votes, defeating Singh, and increased his margin significantly to 68,554 votes in 2021, polling over one lakh votes.
While the TMC has expressed confidence in retaining the seat, opposition parties have raised concerns over the voter list revision, alleging that names of genuine voters have been removed.
“People here know who has stood by them. Elections are decided by trust,” Hakim told PTI during a campaign event.
Singh claimed several residents had complained about missing names in the rolls, stressing the need for transparency. The CPI(M) nominee also said voters in several areas had raised similar concerns.
The constituency has remained a difficult terrain for the opposition in recent elections.
Civic issues such as sanitation, traffic congestion and declining business activity in traditional markets also feature in the campaign in the constituency, though the revised voter list has emerged as a key talking point.
Polling in the constituency will be held in the second phase on April 29, with counting scheduled for May 4.
