THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched a strong attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the central government of insulting India’s freedom struggle by glorifying those who were “servile” to the British. In a scathing Independence Day message on Friday, the Chief Minister also alleged a deliberate attempt to whitewash the history of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
Vijayan’s remarks, which were widely reported in Indian media outlets including The Hindu, The New Indian Express, and The Federal, came as a direct rebuke to the Prime Minister’s recent speeches and the broader narrative being pushed by the central government. “Glorifying those who were servile to the British is an insult to the sacrifices of our freedom fighters,” Vijayan stated, adding that it is a betrayal of the ideals for which thousands of people gave their lives.
Without directly naming the RSS, the Chief Minister made pointed references to the organization’s alleged lack of participation in the freedom movement. “Some people are trying to clean up their history… and paint a new, false picture,” he said, accusing the government of attempting to rewrite history to suit a specific political ideology. The Chief Minister’s office also issued a statement on Saturday, reiterating his criticism and specifying that the Prime Minister’s praise for the RSS during his Independence Day speech was an attempt to “attribute fatherhood of the independence” to the organization.
The Chief Minister also criticized a recent Independence Day greeting card from the Union Ministry of Petroleum that reportedly placed an image of V.D. Savarkar above that of Mahatma Gandhi. According to Vijayan, this was part of a “vast conspiracy” to distort history and credit organizations that had a “poisonous history” of divisive politics.
The strong words from the Chief Minister are part of a growing political debate in India over historical narratives and the role of various individuals and organizations during the freedom struggle. The criticism is expected to further intensify the political discourse, with opposition parties and the ruling party likely to engage in a heated exchange over history and patriotism.
