Bengaluru gets Veer Savarkar flyover despite oppn's protests

Bengaluru : Karnataka's ruling BJP went on to inaugurate Bengaluru's 47th flyover named after Hindu ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar on Tuesday with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa hailing him as a freedom fighter who did not get his due despite his contributions.

In his address, Yediyurappa, hailing every freedom fighter's contribution, said that the country has lost several brave sons, who fought for freedom. "Many got their due. Some like Veer Savarkar did not get full credit, that is the irony," he said after paying floral tributes to Savarkar.

Both the opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular had contested the decision to name the flyover in Yelahanka after Savarkar who continues to evoke sharp reactions among Congress and BJP followers across the nation.

The 400-metre-long flyover was ready in May itself and the BJP had decided to name it after Savarkar and wanted to inaugurate it on May 28, his birth anniversary.

However, Leader of Opposition, Siddaramaiah then took to Twitter to attack the BJP decision and this had led to heated arguments between Congress and BJP leaders on social media as well as in public.

The BJP had then decided to postpone the event, citing the Covid pandemic.