Netizens Slam Petroleum Ministry After Savarkar Features In Independence Day Celebration Post

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas sparked controversy after it posted an Independence Day message on social media featuring Mahatma Gandhi, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh.

On Friday, the Petroleum Ministry shared on X a graphic image bearing the portraits of Gandhi, Savarkar, Bose, and Bhagat Singh, along with the text: “Freedom was their gift, shaping the future is our mission.”

The accompanying caption read: “As we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s remember — liberty thrives when we nurture it every day, through unity, empathy, and action.”

The post attracted criticism from a large section of social media users, with many questioning Savarkar’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle.

Commenting on the post, Congress leader Srinivas BV wrote: “Who was Savarkar? He was a traitor who lived on a British pension and was involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi. Showing Savarkar as greater than Gandhi on the occasion of Independence Day is an insult to all those freedom fighters through whose efforts we gained independence.”

“Shameful to place an apologist over those who sacrificed their lives for freedom,” wrote another user.

“No one has disrespected Mahatma Gandhi as much as this government has. Whenever Modi ji speaks in a foreign country, he has to take Mahatma Gandhi’s name because no one there knows who Mr Savarkar was or what his contribution to India’s freedom was,” said a third user.

Another commented: “Artificially elevating someone’s stature does not make them taller in the real world. Even if Savarkar’s picture is placed higher than those of Gandhi ji, Netaji, Bhagat Singh, and the tricolour, it will not make his contribution to the freedom struggle greater than theirs.”

Why Congress rejects Savarkar as freedom fighter?

Congress rejects Savarkar's status as a freedom fighter due to his mercy petitions to the British while imprisoned and his alleged role in Gandhi's assassination conspiracy. The party also criticises his divisive Hindutva ideology, which contradicts India's secular principles. Additionally, Congress argues that his later collaboration with British authorities and opposition to the Quit India Movement disqualify him from recognition as a true freedom fighter.