Savarkar mooted two-nation theory: Digvijay Singh

After the 'Sanghi terrorism' issue, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh sought to stir a fresh controversy alleging that freedom fighter Veer Savarkar was the first to moot the two-nation theory that led to partition.

"It was Veer Savarkar who first mooted the idea of a two-nation theory which was later adopted by Muhammad Ali Jinnah," Singh told reporters. He said he had made these remarks at a book launch function at the India Islamic Cultural Centre. Singh said he was trying to make a point that extreme communal ideologies create a divide.

His contention was that Veer Savarkar was a non-believer who also coined the word Hindutva. He pointed out that Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was also a non-believer. "All extreme ideological people are non-believers. A good Hindu or a good Muslim is always a believer," he said. The BJP and the Sangh Parivar have always held that Jinnah was the proponent of the two-nation theory which eventually led to the creation of Pakistan. However, followers of Savarkar contend that Sir Muhammad Iqbal, after becoming the Muslim League President in 1930, had for the first time publicly demanded an "independent,sovereign Muslim state."

Singh, a known detractor of the BJP and the Sangh parivar, also attacked the opposition party over the issue of the hoisting national tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar. "These people only want to hoist the flag at contentious places like the Lal Chowk and Idgah in Hubli. They only want to create disturbance," he said. "They (BJP) would like to hoist the flag or construct a temple only where there is dispute. Why do they not hoist the tricolour at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh headquarters?" Singh said.

The AICC general secretary also attacked senior BJP leader L K Advani for his criticism of the government on the issue of black money. "What efforts he (Advani) made to bring back the black money from foreign banks during his tenure as deputy prime minister of the country," he asked. Singh, who is the AICC incharge for Uttar Pradesh also took a dig at Mayawati government in the state over the issue of law and order. "How can law and order improve in a state when money is taken for appointing and transferring police officers," Singh said.