Karnataka: Former CM Siddaramaiah questions omission of Pandit Nehru from BJP government Independence Day message

“The CM of Karnataka Basavaraj Bommai should apologize to the entire nation for insulting Pandit Nehru. The people of India and Karnataka will never accept anyone who humiliates their country’s first Prime Minister,” Siddaramaiah said.

“Savarkar, who pleaded (with) British officers to get himself released from jail, gets position in the front row. But, Baba Saheb, who fought for freedom by being the voice of marginalized sections, gets placed in the last row,” he further said about a government advertisement.

“Bommai govt’s ad clearly shows that RSS does not have anyone to show as a freedom fighter other than Savarkar who pleaded with British officials and acted as their stooge for his survival,” Siddaramaiah said on social media.

“We can understand the RSS hatred towards Nehru because Nehru had vociferously opposed RSS communalism and its support to murder Mahatma Gandhi. Also, Nehru banned RSS and advocated secularism. But, what is wrong with you Mr. Bommai?” the former CM said.

“Bommai should remember that Pandit Nehru wrote letters and books to inspire people to participate in the freedom movement while he was jailed by the British for 9 years. Looks like RSS is sad Nehru did not write apology and mercy petitions to the British like Savarkar,” he said.

The Karnataka government released an advertisement through the state Information Department Sunday highlighting the contributions of various freedom fighters to the cause of Indian Independence.

The advertisement features Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, and Veer Savarkar, among a list of 10 national freedom fighters, and 10 freedom fighters from Karnataka.

The advertisement was released amid parallel controversies over putting up posters of Veer Savarkar at a mall in the Shivamogga region and a flex banner in Bengaluru linked to the Congress hailing the contribution of Tipu Sultan in fighting the British.

The Social Democratic Party of India has objected to the Veer Savarkar poster at the Shivamogga mall while right-wing activists tore apart the Tipu Sultan flex banner in Bengaluru. A Congress leader has filed a complaint in a local police station over the vandalism of the Tipu Sultan banner in the Ulsoorgate region of the city.