Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was an Indian politician, activist, and writer. He had developed the Hindu nationalist political ideology of Hindutva while imprisoned at Ratnagiri in 1922.

Savarkar remains a big hero among Hindus across the country, especially in Maharashtra where he was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. He started using the honorific prefix Veer ("brave") when he wrote his autobiography.

Savarkar joined the Hindu Mahasabha and popularized the term Hindutva (Hinduness), previously coined by Chandranath Basu, to create a collective "Hindu" identity as an essence of Bharat (India). Savarkar was an atheist.

Many secular leaders of the Left- CPI, CPI- M, and the Congress including  Rahul Gandhi have criticised Savarkar umpteen times describing him as communal. 

However, the Rashtriya Shayam Sevak Sangh, Shiv Sena ( both factions led by CM Eknath Shinde and former CM Udhav Thackeray and the ruling BJP led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi consider him a hero of Hindus.

No wonder why PM  Narendra Modi today inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building named after Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair via video conferencing.

With a construction cost of around Rs 710 crores, the new terminal building is capable of handling about 50 lakh passengers annually.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that even though today’s program is taking place in Port Blair, the entire nation is keenly looking towards the Union Territory as the demand for increasing the passenger handling capacity of Veer Savarkar International Airport is being fulfilled. 

The Prime Minister also expressed his desire to be present on the occasion so he could experience the joyous environment and happy faces of the citizens. “Those who wished to visit Andaman also demanded a larger capacity airport”, he added.