Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray hailed Veer Savarkar on Tuesday (17 September) and asserted that if had been the Prime Minister of India, Pakistan would not have existed, reports Economic Times.

Thackeray also made a pitch for Savarkar to be awarded the prestigious Bharat Ratna award posthumously for his contributions for India's freedom movement. Thackeray was speaking at the launch of a book on Savarkar titled "Savarkar: Echoes From A Forgotten Past.", written by author Vikram Sampath.

"If Veer Savarkar would have been the Prime Minister of this country then Pakistan would not have even born. Our government is Hindutva govt and today also I demand Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar," Thackeray said.

"I'd have called Nehru as Veer (brave) if he had survived jail for 14 minutes against Savarkar who stayed in prison for 14 long years," He added.

Taking a jibe at former Congress party president Rahul Gandhi who had in the past criticised and demeaned Savarkar, Thackeray said that Gandhi should be given a copy of the book to read.

Thackeray also announced that he would purchase the copies of the book on Savarkar and ensure that all colleges and schools in the state of Maharashtra stock it in their libraries. Healso made a case for the book being made compulsory reading for all Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs).