BJP glorifying mercy petition writers: Congress on Veer Savarkar College

New Delhi: Congress leader Naseer Hussain on Thursday accused the BJP of glorifying mercy petition writers to the British by naming colleges after them while disregarding the contribution of the freedom fighters.

"Many people lived for the country and hugely contributed to the freedom struggle. The BJP is giving legitimacy to those people who have written mercy petitions to the British and taken pensions from them," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has in a statement said that Modi will on Friday lay the foundation stone of Veer Savarkar College in Roshanpura, Najafgarh.

The college will have an academic block in east Delhi and an academic block in Dwarka.

Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to name Delhi University's upcoming college after former prime minister Manmohan Singh, instead of Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar.

Savarkar is a venerated figure for the Centre's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh has termed it a matter of pride that Modi will lay the foundation for three of the varsity's projects — the East Delhi campus, the West Delhi campus and Veer Savarkar College in Najafgarh.