India is clearly possessive and protective about her Mahatma, far more than the BJP guaged.
Flak across the board compelled Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah to put out a series of tweets against the pro-Nathuram Godse comments from his colleagues Pragya Singh Thakur, Anant Kumar Hegde and Nalin Kumar Kateel, maintaining that these were their “personal” comments.
It was not clear of course, how these were personal comments when all three are Lok Sabha candidates of the BJP and Hegde is a Minister in government. Their remarks were not about the weather, but about idolising a man who had killed Gandhi, the father of the nation.
But even so the sheer volume of disgust forced Shah’s hand as clearly India is not ready to tolerate acceptance of Gandhi’s assassin —and as Kamal Hasan said ‘terrorist’. In his tweets Shah insisted that these comments did not reflect the views of the BJP and that ten days had been given to the three to explain their position. Well after not just the final phase of elections, but also counting day is over.
The Election Commission of India of course, has remained well out of the picture.
Look at the comments:
Nalin Kateel: "Godse killed one, Kasab killed 72, Rajiv Gandhi killed 17,000. You judge who is more cruel in this??" This man has won elections twice from Dakshina Kannada and is contesting his third Lok Sabha from the same constituency now.
Anant Kumar Hegde: "Am glad that 7 decades later today's generation debates in a changed perceptional environment and gives good scope for the condemned to be heard upon. #NathuramGodse would have finally felt happy with this debate!" He is Minister in government and deleted this tweet later maintaining that his Twitter account had been breached. And he regretted the “posts attributed to me.”
Pragya Thakur: "Nathuram Godse was a deshbhakt (patriot), is a 'deshbhakt' and will remain a 'deshbhakt'. People calling him a terrorist should instead look within, such people will be given a fitting reply in the election." She also eventually expressed regret.
These comments come after Tamil Nadu leader Kamal Haasan was attacked by the BJP state unit for referring to Godse as a “terrorist.” He was trolled, attacked, abused with slippers hurled at him. He said at an election meeting in Tamil Nadu’s Karur district, Independent India's first extremist (theevravaadi) was a Hindu, his name is Nathuram Godse. There it starts.” This infuriated the local BJP, that launched a physical and verbal attack on him. A police complaint for his arrest has also been filed.
This attack seemed to have the support of the top leadership, judging from the silence. However, the comments supportive of Godse by the three Lok Sabha candidates have drawn such criticism that Shah has been compelled to intervene, and while pointing out that they have withdrawn their remarks, has sought to assuage sentiments by pointing to the notice.
Even normally BJP supportive industrialists like Anand Mahindra tweeted, “for 75 yrs, India’s been the land of the Mahatma's beacon when the world lost its morality. We used to be pitied for being poor but we were always rich since Bapu inspired millions globally. Some things must remain sacred. Or we become the Taliban, destroying statues that sustain us.”
