D Raja: After Savarkar, BJP may propose Bharat Ratna for Godse

Slamming the BJP for mooting Bharat Ratna award for V D Savarkar, Communist Party of India general secretary D Raja on Tuesday said the ruling party may even propose the honour for Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse. The election manifesto of Maharashtra BJP, released on Tuesday said the party will ask the NDA government at the Centre to confer India's highest civilian award on Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, popularly known as Veer Savarkar.

'This is part of BJP's agenda'

"This is the biggest irony of our times that while we are all celebrating the birth centenary of Gandhiji, the BJP is seeking Bharat Ratna to Savarkar, who was an accused in his assassination case," Raja told PTI. "The day may not be far off for BJP to demand Bharat Ratna to Gandhiji's assassin Nathuram Godse. This is part of their agenda," the CPI leader said. CPI is contesting 16 of the 288 seats in the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Raja said. "Our primary objective is to defeat the BJP and it allies," he added.

READ | Kailash Vijayvargiya supports BJP on Bharat Ratna to Savarkar pitch

READ | BJP seeks Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar in Maharashtra manifesto

'Will ask people to vote against the BJP'

"We will support CPI(M) and other opposition parties in other seats and ask people to vote against the BJP," he said. Raja said during the Maharashtra poll campaign, BJP president Amit Shah and other senior leaders of the ruling party are speaking on issues like abrogation of Article 370 but keeping mum on core issues like farmers' distress, the PMC Bank scam and job losses.

READ | Chhattisgarh CM Baghel alleges: 'Savarkar involved in Gandhi's murder'

READ | PM Modi hails Maharashtra's courageous warriors, names Veer Savarkar