Savarkar's portrait in UP Legislative Council picture gallery sparks row

A portrait of Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar in the picture gallery of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council has sparked a row, with Congress MLC Deepak Singh raising an objection and writing a letter to the Chairman seeking its removal.The portrait was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday.

While inaugurating the portrait, the chief minister had termed Savarkar as a great freedom fighter and philosopher whose personality is a source of inspiration for all Indians. While the BJP counts on Savarkar's contribution to India's freedom movement and calls him a "great patriot", the Congress and other opposition parties have long shunned him for his alleged link to Mahatma Gandhi's assassin.