A certain group of masses carry devotion towards Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse to this day which comes to the surface once in a while. Currently there is an ongoing Tiranga Yatra, a nationwide celebration of 75th Independence day underway and during one such campaign in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, Godse’s picture was featured prominently on top of the vehicle. The controversial incident received much attention after the video of it went viral on social media. What is the reason behind this? What is Godse’s connection with the Indian independence movement? The occasion for the programme was that the country completed 75 years of freedom from British colonial rule and so, pictures of Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose would have been expected to be featured. Yet somehow, the participants in this rally felt Godse to be more prominent than the aforementioned leaders. One must understand that Godse had no direct connection with the freedom movement. The fight for freedom was led by the then Congress party and others eventually joined in. The independent revolutionary leaders fought tooth and nail in their own way and remain a crucial part of the movement. Where does Godse’s contribution lie in all this? He resisted some decisions and wrote against them but apart from that, was he really actively involved in the movement?
The Hindu Mahasabha party, which he was member of, had sent him to Hyderabad to revolt against Jizya tax levied on Hindus by the Nizam ruler. The Nizam had locked up people who had not paid the tax. Later on the ruler had to take the decision back and this is the only notable work Godse is credited for. However, Godse had no contribution in India’s independence movement nor did his work or personality deserve to be worshipped. What is the core intention behind glorifying the assassin of Father of the Nation?
He was hanged for his crime and the love some people have for him should have been abandoned there and then. Instead, the cult to revere Godse has only grown over the years. Naturally, he was not idolised openly till Congress was in power but with the saffron party’s rise, he is being celebrated brazenly in recent years.
Neither law nor humanity agrees with any individual’s killing. How is Godse’s callous act an exception then? A criminal is a criminal, why glorify their delinquency? The trend to put criminals on a pedestal has been on rise lately. According to Hindu Mahasabha (who held the respective rally) leader Yogendra Varma, the Tiranga march featured photographs of multiple revolutionary leaders of which Godse was one of them. This statement is flawed, problematic and disagreeable on various levels. What precisely makes Godse a revolutionary? However, if the then government did not disclose the information at the time then it cannot be asked to reveal now. His further statements are even more appalling.
The unfortunate massacre during partition was a consequence of the situation prevalent at that time and we have to accept it as it is. How is Gandhi responsible for one of the largest refugee crises in the history of the world? The decision regarding partition of India was not taken by Gandhi alone, it was a collective decision with inputs from several other leaders and that has to be accepted as well.
One must also remember that the respective leaders did not want partition in the first place but it was unavoidable. In case the partition had not happened, the impact would not have been any less violent. In fact, one may even argue in favour of partition given the rising Islamophobic sentiment presently. These unfortunate incidents are now part of the bygone era and in no way one can justify them by continuing to keep blaming someone.
