Assassination of Gandhiji by Hindutva extremists-Time to remember

Friday 5 10 pm 30th January 1948

It was 61 years ago this very day that the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was killed in cold blood by Hindutva forces.

Even though the RSS failed to own up the responsibility and put it on the head of its brother organisation Hindu Mahasabha,there was no doubt that none of the Hindutva fanatic groups could be absolved from that hateful crime.

As the then Home Minister Sardar Patel said

“As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji’s murder is sub judice and I should not like to say anything about the participation of the two organisations, but our reports do confirm that, as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible….The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of government and the state….Indeed, as time has marched on, the RSS circles are becoming more defiant and are indulging in their subversive activities in an increasing measure.”

“All their speeches were full of communal poison. . . As a result of the poison, the country had to suffer the sacrifice of the invaluable life of Gandhiji…In fact opposition (to the RSS) grew. . . when the RSS men expressed joy and distributed sweets after Gandhiji’s death.”

Narayan Apte, front row, far left, leader of Gandhi assassination plot; Nathuram Godse, front row, third from left, who pulled the trigger and ended Gandhi's life;

Nathuram Godse and the R.S.S

The current posture of the RSS is that Godse had given up his membership long before the Gandhi murder.But the evidence is contrary.

Gopal Godse, his brother in his book 'Why I Assassinated Mahatma Gandhi' (1993) says unambiguously: “He (Nathuram) has said in his statement that he left the RSS. He said it because Golwalker and the RSS were in a lot of trouble after the murder of Gandhi. But he did not leave the RSS.” In the same book he also characterises Advani’s denial of Nathuram’s membership of the RSS at the time of the murder as “cowardice".

Nathuram Godse is no more but the mindset which gave birth to such distorted ideology is unfortunately still with us and is gaining popularity among gullible public.It was the same ideology that we saw in Ayodhya in 1992,Gujarat in 2002,Malegaon in 2006 and Mangalore in 2009.

Hate attacks may increase

There will be more such hate attacks is evident from the report below.

In a speech made at Udupi on January 17 2009, Sri Ram Sene leader Pramod Muthalik warned, “The Malegaon [blast] incident is just a ‘Jhalak’ [curtain-raiser] for similar events in the future.”
The speech was made at an event, ‘Hindu Dharma Jagruthi Sabhe,’ organised by the Hindu Janajagruthi Samiti at the MLN Rao stadium of the MGM College.
Lauding the blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur, he says: “There is soon going to be a Pragya Singh in every Hindu house.”
Amidst shouts of “Har Har Mahadev,” he asks the audience, “Imagine what we can achieve if every Hindu woman gives up the cooking ladle in favour of a bomb?”

The Hindu Janajagruti Samithi, an affiliate of the Sri Ram Sene, has been organising similar rallies across the coastal districts of Karnantaka with the intention of recruiting youth for the Dharma Shakti Sene.
At an event organised by the Samithi on March 4, 2008 at the Nehru Maidan here that was reported in The Hindu, the members were dressed in military-style camouflage uniforms.
There were registration counters at the venue where interested people could join the Sena. The counters displayed weapons such as knives, swords and air-rifles. The person manning one of the counters told The Hindu that any ‘Hindu’ could register for the ‘army’ and would be given free lessons in the use of arms.
All over the venue there were gory posters of victims of terror attacks. The entire meeting area was cordoned off by opaque cloth walls that made the happenings inside invisible to passers-by.
Over 2,000 people, including local BJP MLA N. Yogish Bhat and head of the Pejawar Math in Udupi Visvesha Tirtha attended the event. Journalists were forced to wear ‘tilaks’ on the forehead at the entrance.

Only sustained and united effort and constant vigil by democratic forces can thwart the ideology of Gandhi assassins becoming more powerful.