On May 28, again, Maharashtra governor Ramesh Bais inaugurated an exhibition organized on the life of Savarkar at Borivali, and on June 8th, a documentary and seminar was organized on Savarkar by the Maharashtra Film, Stage & Cultural Corporation at Whistling Woods in Mumbai.

Earlier, on February 26th, his death anniversary, the Shinde government had organised a commemorative event at Bhagur in Nashik and declared that this will now be an annual event in his memory.

In addition, the state government has also announced the launch of a tourism circuit dedicated to Savarkar. The circuit will focus on five landmarks associated with the Hindutva ideologue. These include his birthplace at Bhagur, his hostel room at Pune’s Fergusson College, a temple named as ‘Patit Pawan Mandir’ established by him in Ratnagiri district, the jail in Ratnagiri where he was lodged by the British, a memorial in the name of his brother Ganesh ‘Baburao’ Savarkar at Sangli and Savarkar’s national memorial in Mumbai. Also, in May this year, Randeep Hooda starred in a Savarkar bio-pic directed by Mahesh Manjrekar.

According to political analyst Padmabhushan Deshpande the eulogization of Savarkar serves two purposes: it underscores the hard Hindutva turn of politics and shores up the core voter base of the BJP, and on the other hand, it helps them expand the pantheon of their historical figures. Previously, says Deshpande, the BJP tried to do the same with Bhagat Singh and Swami Vivekanand.

“But as soon as they started trying to appropriate Bhagat Singh, the secular forces came up with two books written by the freedom fighter in which he had declared himself as a ‘communist’ and a ‘rationalist’. After which they dropped the idea of appropriating Bhagat Singh and chose to focus on Swami Vivekananda instead.”

This endeavour, he says, is essential to counter the large pantheon of the freedom fighters who fought for Indian independence under the Congress’ banner.

With Savarkar, there is no question of appropriation. He is widely believed to have coined the term Hindutva. While speaking at the June 17 launch of the book, ‘Veer Savarkar: Falni Talnyachi Kshamata Asnara Mahapurush’, (the legend who had capacity to prevent the partition) union minister Nitin Gadkari said, “Savarkar was a social reformer and he is a role model for us.”

“The iconizing of Savarkar is a work in progress,” says Deshpande. Going into the election year it will help BJP take on the Congress and its ideological allies who have shunned Savarkar for years for his alleged role in Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination—for which he was tried and acquitted. More recently, the issue of his mercy petitions to the British while he was lodged in the Cellular Jail at Andaman for ten year, has also become contentious. Adding to the constroversy are the facts that Savarkar had also supported the two-nation theory and opposed Mahatma Gandhi’s call for Quit India Movement.

But the BJP believes that Savarkar has many more adherents than critics. “His valour and courage attract the young, they are keen to know more about him. What is being hidden for years is now coming to the fore,” says state BJP vice president Madhav Bhandari.

He insists that Savarkar was not alone in opposing the ‘Quit India Movement’ started by Congress in 1942 against the then British government. “Many Congress leaders too had opposed the idea and did not participate in it. The communist leaders too have openly opposed the movement. Why single out Savarkar?”