TN CM condemns RSS commemorative coin; urges safeguarding Gandhi's legacy

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday condemned the release of special postage stamp and commemorative coin marking the centenary celebrations of RSS, and said India should be rescued from the "pitiful state" of celebrating an organisation, which shaped the thinking of a communal element who assassinated the Mahatma.

Paying floral tributes to a portrait of Gandhi on his jayanthi here today, the Chief Minister said India is a secular country and Mahatma Gandhi sowed the basic philosophy for it.

He is the power that will always provide us strength to face the seeds of hatred among the people and the divisive forces whenever they arise, Stalin said in a post on the social media platform X'.

India should be rescued from the pitiful state where the one who is in charge of the country's leadership (Prime Minister) releases special postage stamps and commemorative coin on the centenary of the #RSS movement, which gave shape to the dreams of the communal leader who killed our Father of the Nation, the Chief Minister said.

This is the pledge that all the people of the country should take on Gandhiji's birth anniversary. #MahatmaGandhi, Stalin said.

The Rs 100 coin released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Gandhi jayanthi, features a majestic image of Bharata Mata in Varada mudra, with a lion on the obverse. The members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh are seen venerating her. The national emblem is depicted on the reverse.