Godse's ideology: Letter to BS on book review of 'Why I Killed the Mahatma'

In “Explaining Godse” (January 31), C P Bhambri rightly disagrees with Koenraad Elst, the author of Why I killed the Mahatma, about the justification for killing Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse claimed to respect Gandhi for his service to the country, yet held him guilty of being pro-Muslim on biased self-perception; he did not raise his voice against his actions and killed him in a planned but cowardly manner. Even if one feels strongly against a highly regarded mass leader (as against a dictator), no amount of rationalisation can diminish the crime.

However, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) should not be clubbed in this crime unless there was a proven complicity and conspiracy of the top leaders of the RSS. Getting swayed by a party’s ideology does not make the party culpable if the action is not the result of exhortation, explicit or implicit, from the party. This is what distinguishes the ISIS from the RSS.

In a country of 100 crore Hindus there could be a fringe group that would indulge in cow vigilantism, “love jihad” or Padmavati phobia. The real test is how the rest of the community and the government treat them. Both have been indifferent but not supportive. If the people also join the fringe, it will be a greater threat to democracy than the government of the day. The reality will emerge in the 2019 elections.
 

Y G Chouksey   Pune

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