The emphatic comment from Dr Singh about Veer Savarkar comes only a few days after Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said the party did not consider him a patriot or a freedom fighter. The AICC stand has put the state Congress leadership in such a major problem locally that they have openly distanced themselves from it.

“As far as the Savarkar controversy is concerned... they are Mr Aiyar’s personal views and not of the government. It is an unnecessary controversy,” Dr Singh said addressing his first formal press conference after assuming the office of the Prime Minister. “Savarkar was a freedom fighter and a patriot (but) there are some aspects of his life with which we did not agree. He was also a co-accused in the Mahatma Gandhi murder case but was acquitted. He was also associated with the Hinduvta ideology,” he said.

“But I do not believe any good is achieved by speaking ill of the dead,” he said.