New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS): Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to Veer Savarkar on his death anniversary.

Taking to Twitter, the Vice- President said: "My humble tributes to the great nationalist, freedom fighter & social reformer #VeerSavarkar on his Punya Tithi today. He was a crusader against social evils like caste discrimination & untouchability. His sacrifices for the freedom of our motherland will always be remembered. (Sic)."

"I pay my heartfelt respects to the great freedom fighter and an epitome of sacrifice and penance, Veer Savarkar on his death anniversary. His life, dedicated to the service of motherland will always be a inspiration to the people of our country," PM Modi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla too paid his tributes in Hindi as he said: "Paying my emotional tributes on the death anniversary of a great freedom fighter, an immortal soldier in the freedom struggle, 'Veer' Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. He was a staunch nationalist, inspiring author, poet and a freedom fighter. His actions will always continue to guide the nation."

Born in May 1928, Savarkar passed away in February 1966.

Several other BJP leaders paid tributes to Savarkar on twitter and other social media handles.