Uddhav Thackeray seeks 'Bharat Ratna' for Veer Savarkar

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded that 'Bharat Ratna', the country's highest civilian award, be conferred on the late revolutionary and freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

"We all are together in demanding (Bharat Ratna for Savarkar) and some leaders of opposition (in Maharashtra) also want the highest honour for Savarkar. We should now act to make this a reality," Uddhav said here. The Sena chief was speaking at the closing function of a three-day long convention on Savarkar's writings. 

Uddhav also demanded that a replica of prison cell at the Cellular jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where Savarkar had been kept by the British should be built in Mumbai. The youth and citizens should be educated about the contribution of Savarkar towards the 'Hindu Rashtra' and the freedom struggle, the Sena chief added.