Undeterred by the Maharashtra unit’s decision to not make Savarkar an election issue, the BJP leadership is going ahead with its plan of making a big show of its ‘‘Andaman Satyagraha’’ to press for the restoration of the plaque containing V.D. Savarkar’s quotation outside the Cellular Jail in Port Blair.BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who is leading a contingent of around 125 MPs to hold the ‘‘satyagraha’’ on September 21, announced today that they would take along the ‘‘exact replica’’ of the plaque that was removed under the instructions of Union Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar.Sushma claimed that the ‘‘satyagraha’’ would be ‘‘completely peaceful and non-violent’’, but at the same time asserted ‘‘we will not return with the plaque’’, indicating that the plaque would be forcibly put up somewhere in the vicinity.Sushma also said three ‘‘vidai’’ ceremonies to flag off the ‘‘satyagrahis’’ would take place in Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata on September 19, 20 and 21. In Delhi, Leader of the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani would flag off the ‘‘satyagrahis’’, in Chennai, Venkaiah Naidu, and in Kolkata, Murli Manohar Joshi.Referring to the PM’s comment on Savarkar during his first press conference in which he desired an end to the controversy, Sushma said: ‘‘I appeal to the PM that if he truly wants to end the controversy, he should order the restoration of the plaque.’’
