Savarkar, Nazi, Hitler and Jews- Part 2

-Akshay Jog  

 

It was VD Savarkar who coined the slogan ‘’Hinduize all politics, Militarize Hindudom’’ and asked Hindus to get enlisted in British army. But opponents blamed Savarkar as a ‘recruiting officer’. If we consider Savarkar as an admirer of Nazi Hitler then why did he support Britishers during World War-2 instead of Nazi Hitler? As Dr. Koenraad Elst rightly said, “It is not unreasonable to suggest that Savarkar's collaboration with the British against the Axis was opportunistic. He was not in favor of any foreign power, be it Britain, the US, the Soviet Union, Japan or Germany. He simply chose the course of action that seemed the most useful for the Hindu nation.’’1

 

 

Most importantly Savarkar never ever supported racism and racial purity. To the contrary, he wrote articles against racism and racial purity. He explicitly said: “After all there is throughout this world so far as man is concerned but a single race- the human race, kept alive by one common blood, the human blood. All other talk is at best provisional, a makeshift and only relatively true. Nature is constantly trying to overthrow the artificial barriers you raise between race and race.

 

To try to prevent the commingling of blood is to build on sand. Sexual attraction has proved more powerful than all the commands of all the prophets put together. ……..Truly speaking all that one can claim is that one has the blood of all mankind in one's veins. The fundamental unity of man from pole to pole is true, all else only relatively so."2 This is exactly opposite of pure race or race superiority theory of Nazi Hitler.

 

President of the Bengal Hindu Mahasabha and vice-president of the All-India Hindu Mahasabha, Nirmal Chandra Chatterjee said: "Our main plank is Veer Savarkar's message which he preached at the Calcutta session: 'Equal rights for all citizens and protection of the culture and religion of every minority'." (Hindu Politics, p.74)

 

In November 1943 Chatterjee said: "The Hindus in this supreme crisis of humanity never wanted to shirk the responsibility to fight the Axis powers. Our leaders took a realistic view of the political situation. Veer Savarkar's clarion call to the Hindus had met with a ready response and the Hindu boys had rushed forward and joined up in thousands. On every front our boys have demonstrated their valor and discipline, and the African Campaign, if faithfully recorded, will put the Indian in the forefront of the noble heroes who decimated the Fascist [hordes]." (Hindu Politics, p.55-56)

 

Moreover, in November 1944, he stated: ‘’Due to Veer Savarkar's call thousands of young men joined the Army and Navy and Air Force and shed their blood for resisting Nazi tyranny and for real friendship with China and Russia.’’ (Hindu Politics, p.103) This series of statements of Chatterjee shows that Savarkar and Hindu Mahasabha’s support to anti-Nazi and anti-Fascist war was not only tactical but also ideological.3

 

 

1. Elst, Dr. Koenraad, Was Veer Savarkar a Nazi?, 2 Aug 1999, koenraadelst.voiceofdharma.com

 

2. Samagra Savarkar Vangmay- Volume 6, Editor: S.R Date, 1963-65, Maharashtra Prantik Hindusabha Publication, Page 58

 

3. Elst, Dr. Koenraad

 

(To be continued...)