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In the ‘Anti-National’ Milieu, Why Gopal Gandhi Is an Easy Target

An attack on Gopalkrishna Gandhi is an assault on the legacy of Gandhi, who stood for secularism & justice for all.

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Up until recently, Gopalkrishna Gandhi was known as a retired IAS officer and a columnist. He has served as the Governor of West Bengal from 2004-2009. Today, his name has been added to the ever-expanding ranks of anti-nationals.

As soon as the news of his candidacy for the post of Vice President started making the rounds, the Shiv Sena and some sections of the media began a smear campaign. An English news television channel is, in fact, running a debate to determine whether Gandhi fails or passes the test of a true patriot. Since I currently stay away from the news, I do not know if the results are in.

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Gandhi’s crime? He wrote a letter in July 2015 to then-President Pranab Mukherjee, protesting the death penalty for 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

Given the toxic political climate of the country, the debate shifted from “does death penalty have a place in a civilised society” to questioning Gandhi’s patriotism. 

We may as well note here that Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the paternal grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. C Rajagopalachari was his maternal grandfather.

Also Read: Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s Stance on Yakub Memon Shouldn’t Bother Us

Too caught up to read? Listen to the story here:

Rabid Nationalism

The Shiv Sena taunted Sonia Gandhi for choosing Gandhi as their candidate for the post of Vice President. This is the same Shiv Sena which was accused of being involved in the 1993 Mumbai riots. In fact, the Srikrishna Commission’s report backs these allegations.

The Mumbai blasts were promptly investigated and the accused were nabbed and sentenced to hangings. The report on the riots, however, is still gathering dust somewhere.

If the investigation into the riots had been done properly, several politicians, like an ex-minister involved in Gujarat riots, would have been behind bars today.

At the same time, Shiv Sena’s brand of nationalism, as well as that of similar organisations, would have been exposed. But no one wanted to bell the cat.

Thus, the perpetrators are now free to carry on as before and make inflammatory speeches to their heart’s content. Exactly like those who kill in the name of the cow and manage to get off scot-free.

Also Read: Venkaiah Naidu Vs Gopalkrishna Gandhi: VP Face-off on 5 August

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An attack on Gopalkrishna Gandhi is an assault on the legacy of Gandhi, who stood for secularism & justice for all.

Gandhi’s Philosophy

There must surely be some reason or strategy behind the sudden pillorying of Gandhi. I know for a fact that Gopalkrishna Gandhi is a complete gentleman. He is a learned and sensitive person. He is, in fact, an ideal candidate for a constitutional post.

But he has many flaws too. His first fault is that he is a descendant of Mahatma Gandhi. He belongs to the family of a man who never compromised with communal forces, has always supported Hindu-Muslim unity and parity, and has neither agreed with Jinnah’s two-nation theory nor with the RSS’ brand of Hindutva politics.

Gandhi believed in the equal treatment of all communities and tried to work for universal progress. For him, secularism was the only way forward. However, his unyielding belief in these principles ultimately became the cause of his assassination.

For Gandhi, the history of India was a history of cooperation and unity. Hindutva forces, therefore, never saw eye to eye with him, in life or legacy.

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Targeting Gandhi’s Legacy

For these forces, India is and has always been a Hindu nation. Thus, for them, the history of India is mired with conflict, primarily with Muslim forces.

They believe that Muslim forces attacked and conquered India, a Hindu nation, in the middle ages and thus weakened Hindu power. As a consequence, Jinnah was able to divide the country into two.

They think that Gandhi’s philosophy was based on misconceived notions. It led to weakening of Hindutva forces and thus, Jinnah was successful in carving the separate nation state of Pakistan.

The problem of Hindutva forces is that Mahatma Gandhi still commands universal respect in the country, thereby making it impossible for them to succeed politically by disrespecting him or his views.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi might not be a visionary like his grandfather but he is still committed to taking his legacy forward.

This, ultimately, is what the Hindutvadis cannot stand. The attack on Gopalkrishna Gandhi is actually an attack on his pedigree and the principled legacy his grandfather bequeathed to an independent India; a legacy of secularism that we should all be proud of.

Also Read: Jinnah’s Tuberculosis: Could His Secret Have Stopped Partition?

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An attack on Gopalkrishna Gandhi is an assault on the legacy of Gandhi, who stood for secularism & justice for all.
Rabid nationalists feel weakening of Hindutva forces led to India’s partition.
(Photo: iStock)

Who is an Anti-National?

The tide seems to have turned in recent times. What until now had been spoken in whispers and behind backs is suddenly being heard on the streets and on news channels. In such an atmosphere, a man like Gopalkrishna Gandhi becomes an easy target.

We should be attentive. We should ask who is behind such attacks. Which parties and organisations are distributing certificates for nationalism? It is the same organisation that contributed in no way whatsoever to the Indian struggle for independence; not a single political leader, big or small, went to jail during the freedom struggle.

The irony might seem funny now, but is true that the RSS only discouraged those who participated in the independence struggle.

Keshav Hedgewar, a founding figure of RSS, was a member of the Congress first and was indeed jailed for participation in the struggle as well as the salt satyagraha, but he didn’t really believe in the fight for independence. He considered it a shallow form of nationalism.

In 1936, Hedgewar made a speech where he said that Congress agitation against British rule was the product of transient feelings of outrage and thus only a superficial form of nationalism.

His successor MS Golwakar went a step further. In 1960, he said in Indore that the freedom struggle against British rule was a nationalist struggle in name only. In truth, it was merely reactionary and it had a negative influence on the leaders and citizens of the nation. He gave the example of children turning militant after 1920-1929 and the fact that post-1942, Indians abandoned all belief in law and order. How, then, must we perceive Golwalkar and his legacy? Is he a nationalist or an anti-national?

Gopalkrishna Gandhi’s offence, in light of these others, is nothing. He did not disparage either the freedom struggle or those who laid down their lives for it. Instead, he supports their legacy of inclusiveness, equality, and unity; he supports positive principles as opposed to divisive politics.

Also Read: What Won Us Independence: Gandhi’s Non-Violence Or Armed Struggle?

Gandhi’s three sons supported the mercy plea of Nathuram Godse, their father’s killer. Should we brand Gandhi’s sons anti-national as well? What sort of logic is this? What sort of historians are we?
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Damaging The Secular Fabric

The people who raise hell at every perceived insult to the national flag today are the same people who, for the longest time, refused to accept the tricolour as the national flag.

An editorial published in RSS’ newsletter on 14 August 1947 said that the tricolour was unacceptable as a national flag to all Hindus.

The RSS considered three (3) an inauspicious number and felt that a flag with three colours would lead to undesirable effects on society.

If either Mahatma Gandhi or Gopalkrishna Gandhi had said the same, they would be under constant attack today. Because their affiliates are in power today, the RSS can get away with seemingly anything. In truth, the attacks on Gopalkrishna Gandhi are a red herring. The real strategy is to villainise India’s proud tradition of secularism and equality.

The fight might seem political, but it is one of ideology – politics is merely the terrain on which it is being fought. This is why the attacks on Gandhi are only going to get more venomous with time and many others like Gopalkrishna Gandhi will have to go through the same.

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(The writer is an author and spokesperson of AAP. He can be reached at @ashutosh83B. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same. This article was originally published on QuintHindi.)

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