CONTROVERSIAL: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel says that Veer Savarkar pitched Two-nation theory before Muhammad Ali Jinnah

A day before the nation celebrates the birthday of Veer Savarkar, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel created a controversy after he said that it was Savarkar who coined the two nation theory. He said that Muhammad Ali Jinnah took forward the thought of Savarkar and he was the first to pitch the idea of carving out Pakistan from India before Independence.

"Vinayak Damodar Savarkar had first thought of the two-nation theory. His theory was taken forward by Muhammad Ali Jinnah," Baghel was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. He was addressing Congress workers on former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's death anniversary in Raipur.

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"Savarkar had put forward the proposal of dividing the country into two parts on religious grounds and Jinnah had implemented it. This is a historical fact and no one can deny it," the Congress leader said.

He added, "He had fought for the independence of the country and was put in Andaman and Nicobar jail. Not just once but he apologised repeatedly to Britishers and after coming out of jail he stayed away from the fight for the country's independence. He had thought of two countries, this is also historically true."

READ: 'Till Shatrughan Sinha Was In BJP, He Spoke About Patriotism And Nationalism,' Says Giriraj Singh Accusing Congress Of 'appeasement Politics' Over His Jinnah Remark

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Prime Minister-elect Modi took to Twitter to pay his tribute to Veer Savarkar and said that he has inspired many towards nation building.

In a similar controversy during election season, Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha had called Pakistan's Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as freedom fighter and 'belonging to Congress family' while enlisting various leaders who fought for India's independence. 

WATCH: Now, Shatrughan Sinha exalts Muhammad Ali Jinnah, calls Pakistan's Quaid-e-Azam 'Congress family'