Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray demands 'Bharat Ratna' for Veer Savarkar

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray wants Bharat Ratna award for freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

While speaking at the closing function of a three-day long convention on Savarkar's writings, the Sena president said the country's highest civilian award should be bestowed upon the freedom fighter and the party will urge the opposition to back them on this demand.

"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," the Thackeray said on Sunday.

Earlier this month, Tawang district RSS leader Lhundup Chosang's called for awarding the country's highest civilian honour to Nobel Laureate and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

The campaign was launched on April 6, a day before the Dalai Lama reached Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh in the face of protests by China.

However, the RSS later denied running any official campaign regarding Bharat Ratna.

After former Tamil nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa's demise, AIADMK had asked the government to confer India's highest civilian honour 'Amma' posthumously for her "exemplary" public service of over 32 years and also recommend her name for the Nobel Prize.