New Delhi: A Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Independence Day poster, featuring Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar placed above Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, and Subhas Chandra Bose, has sparked political controversy, with Opposition leaders accusing the government of glorifying a person once accused in Gandhi’s assassination.
The image, posted on the Ministry’s official ‘X’ account, showed portraits of Gandhi, Bose, Singh, and Savarkar with the Red Fort, the national tricolour, and the Ashoka Chakra in the background, alongside the greeting “Happy Independence Day.”
Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal described the design as an “Orwellian image” that “elevates a British mercy petitioner like Savarkar over Gandhi-ji — the undisputed Mahatma who got us freedom — while completely eliminating Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.” He said it reflected “contempt for our freedom fighters” and accused the BJP of distorting history “to make heroes out of traitors.”
CPI(M) Rajya Sabha floor leader John Brittas called the “deliberate elevation” of Savarkar “not a coincidence but a calculated act.” While Savarkar was acquitted due to lack of evidence, Brittas noted that the Kapur Commission had pointed to circumstantial evidence implicating him in Gandhi’s assassination. He urged all who uphold the Constitution to “condemn this mockery of justice and secular values.”
Congress Media and Publicity Department Chairman Pawan Khera said the BJP was “glorifying” the Mahatma’s killer, adding, “While mixing ethanol in petrol, now you’ve started mixing impurities even in freedom fighters. Those who couldn’t become great in history, you’re making them big on posters. The country is asking you for cheaper oil, not cheap comedy.”
Senior Congress MP and Lok Sabha Whip Manickam Tagore also criticised the move, saying, “No matter how hard Prime Minister Narendra Modi tries, he cannot push the Mahatma, Bose, and Bhagat Singh below ‘maafiveer’ (one who apologised). Don’t disgrace the martyrs who fought and died for freedom by glorifying those who begged the British with apology letters.”
The Ministry has not issued a statement responding to the criticism.
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