The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has removed the editor of one of its magazines for publishing in the January edition an essay that glorifies Mahatma Gandhi’s killer Nathuram Godse as a “martyr”.
The essay Mahatma Zinda Hai (Mahatma is alive) by Hyderabad-based independent writer Shweta Rani was published in the government’s Public Relations Department’s magazine Sandesh. “For some Godse is a killer, while for others he is a martyr who had great respect for his religion,” she wrote.
That Gandhi died on January 30,1948, of bullets and Nathuram Godse after being hanged on November 15, 1949, was not the case, the article said. “Neither has Godse died, nor has Gandhi, as ideas never die. Both live on in our minds. It is for us to decide whose ideology we should promote.”
Acting on a complaint, Law and Public Relations Minister P. C. Sharma removed Manoj Khare, Joint Director, as the publications wing in-charge and as its Editor on February 22 and served a notice on him, a development that came to light recently. Earlier, on February 18, a suspension order was issued, but it was later revoked.
“There was a lot written about Godse, which was not required. When your article is on Mahatma Gandhi, then you must only talk about him,” Mr. Sharma told The Hindu. “Such an article was not required in the first place.”
An official of the department, requesting anonymity, said each issue of the 116-year-old magazine is referred to its Commissioner for approval before being published. Mr. Khare refused to comment, while Commissioner P. Narahari did not take phone calls.
In October last year, Mr. Narahari had issued a letter lauding Mr. Khare for a 224-page book titled ‘Madhya Pradesh and Gandhiji.’ He has received three awards as the Editor since 2014.
An official of the publications wing, requesting anonymity, said there was tremendous pressure in December, given that the government had completed a year in office, and wanted to publish its achievements. This was compounded by an acute shortage of staff, he contended. Against a sanctioned strength of six senior officials, there is just one, and eight to ten staff members for 25 posts.
In November last year, when Bhopal MP Pragya Thakur described Godse as a “patriot” during a debate in Parliament, Chief Minister Kamal Nath had rebuked her and said the BJP should clarify whether it was with Gandhi’s ideology or Godse’s.
Purportedly quoting from a book titled ‘Why I Killed Gandhi’ written by Godse’s brother Gopal, the essay said: “Godse believed that Gandhi played a major role in the country’s Partition. He started believing his life’s main mission was to protect Hindus and Hindutva. He thought by protecting Hindus and Hindutva and organising them, complete freedom could be achieved.”
According to him, tall leaders then were trying to make the country secular. “However, this country’s name is ‘Hindustan’, that is Hindu nation, and giving even a little space to any other religion was unacceptable to Godse.”
That day, Godse had merely riddled a body with bullets, but the supreme spirit of Gandhi is found in people even today, the essay goes on to say.
A disclaimer in the index of the monthly magazine states that views expressed are the author’s own, and that it was not necessary the “government agreed with them”.
“We are clear Godse was a killer,” said Lokendra Parashar, BJP State media incharge. “But the sad part is Congress has even killed Gandhi’s ideas. That’s why there is an atmosphere of violence and division in the country.”
Meanwhile, Vishvas Sarang, BJP MLA and former State Cabinet Minister, told The Hindu that the developments showed the Congress was two-faced. “What will change by removing just one official? On the one hand, they claim to go against Godse, and on the other allow such essays to be published. They clearly follow his ideas.”
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