Satisfying to see BJP honouring Mahatma Gandhi: Tharoor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said it was satisfying to see the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA Government honouring Mahatma Gandhi, even as most of its supporters are keen to erect statues of his killer Nathuram Godse.

Tharoor was reacting to the unveiling of a nine-foot bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi at London's Parliament Square by British Prime Minister David Cameron and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley earlier today.

He also said the government should honour Mahatma Gandhi not only in London, but also across the length and breadth of India.

"Let me stress that one thing that gives us some satisfaction is to see this government honouring Gandhiji when half its supporters seem to prefer to put up statues of Godse. For us, it is time that the ruling powers in our country understood who the real father of this nation is. They should honour Gandhiji not only in London, but also across the length and breadth of India," Tharoor told ANI.

"It is a matter of some satisfaction to us in India that the Parliament Square outside the British House of Commons is going to have a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, who fought against British imperial rule for so long and so successfully. That is a matter of satisfaction for every Indian," he added.

Mahatma Gandhi's statue will join the figures of many prominent world leaders at London's Parliament Square, including that of former British prime minister Winston Churchill, who had described Gandhi as a 'half-naked fakir'.

Mahatma Gandhi is the first Indian to be honoured with a statue at London's Parliament Square.