Grateful nation can never forget Savarkar's courage, struggle: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid rich tributes to Hindutva icon Veer Savarkar on his birth anniversary, saying a grateful nation can never forget the saga of his indomitable courage and struggle.

Lauding him as a true son of "Mother India", Modi said even the harshest torture from the colonial British power could not dent his dedication to the motherland, and that his sacrifices and commitment will serve as a beacon for the building of a developed India.

Born in 1883 in Maharashtra, Savarkar was a proponent of revolutionary methods to gain freedom from the British empire before his imprisonment in the Andaman Islands under extremely punishing conditions.

A hero to Hindu nationalists, he is credited with developing the political framework of Hindutva and was a prolific author and poet.

Criticised by secular parties like the Congress for his advocacy of Hindutva, Savarkar has been a venerable figure for the ruling BJP.