Mahatma Gandhi has been a thorn in the flesh of the Sangh Parivar from its inception. That is why relentless attempts are being made by the right-wing groups to project Godse, the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, as a patriot. The Sangh Parivar organizations are never tired of attempting to sanctify Godse and project Gandhi as a villain who betrayed India, particularly in relation to the partition of India. Young minds are being brainwashed with hatred against Mahatma Gandhi by the right wing organizations. They know that Mahatma Gandhi has grown beyond India and has become a global icon of peace and non-violence. That is why they are multiplying their efforts at home to malign Gandhi. The speech competition organized recently in one of the schools in Gujarat for the students between the age of 11 to 13 on the topic “My Role Model, Nathuram Godse” is to be viewed from this perspective. 

Glorification of Godse is not something new, but it seems to have gained momentum since the BJP came to power at the Centre under the leadership of Narendra Modi. The right-wing groups organize events on January 30 and October 2 every year to denigrate Gandhi and exalt Godse. It was reported in the media that on 30th January 2022 the Hindu Mahasabha paid tributes to Nathuram Godse and a co-accused in the Gandhi murder trial, Naryan Apte, in Gwalior by observing “Godse-Apte Diwas. It also bestowed “Godse-Apte Bharat Ratna” upon jailed religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj who was arrested in December last year for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Gandhi during a Dharma Sansad held in Raipur. 

On 30th January 2020, a shocking event was organized by the Hindu Mahasabha in Aligarh, UP. Puja Shakun Pandey, the national secretary of the organization, shot at an effigy of the Mahatma, while other members of the group surrounded and applauded her. In the video, Pandey was seen shooting the effigy with a toy-gun after which a thick red-colour liquid started flowing from the effigy. The group later burnt the effigy and shouted pro-Godse slogans like “Mahatma Nathuram Godse Zindabad''. It was reported that Pandey even distributed sweets among her supporters. 

The most significant reason for the right-wing groups to hate Gandhi is his approach to other religions, especially to the Muslims in India. They believe that leaders like Gandhi and Nehru were responsible for not making India a Hindu Rashtra. Gandhi had a liberal approach to other religions which the Sangh Parivar detested. 

According to Mahatma Gandhi, religion is personal and a path to connect oneself with God, and it should lead to truth, spirituality, self-realization, sarvadharma samabhav and service to humanity. “Let me explain what I mean by religion. It is not the Hindu religion which I certainly prize above all other religions, but the religion which transcends Hinduism, which changes one's very nature, which binds one indissolubly to the truth within and which purifies ever,”  says Gandhi. That is why Gandhi rejected any religious doctrine that does not appeal to reason and is in conflict with morality. He also says, “Religion which takes no account of practical affairs and does not help to solve them, is no religion”.

One of the most significant causes for religious conflicts is that followers of a particular religion hold the view that their religion is the true religion or superior to others, and hence all should accept their religion. This attitude is at the root of religious fundamentalism.

Gandhiji was a staunch Hindu, and at the same time he had great respect for other religions. He strongly believed that all religions are true and hence all are equal. Gandhiji came to this conclusion after a “reverential study” of other religions. He says, “It is only through a reverential approach to faiths other than mine that I can realize the principle of equality of all religions. But it is both my right and duty to point out the defects in Hinduism in order to purify it and keep it pure”.

As religion is a human creation, all religions are imperfect and no religion can claim that it is better than others. All religions have their strengths and weaknesses. As a seeker of truth Gandhiji realized it. He held the view that there is no need of changing one’s religion.

Without changing one’s religion one can follow the noble teachings of any religion. Gandhiji had great admiration for the teaching of Jesus. That is why he said, “Jesus expressed, as no other could, the spirit and will of God … I believe that he belongs not solely to Christianity, but to the entire world.” He was very much influenced by the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. He has written in his autobiography, “The Sermon on the Mount went straight into my heart.”

At the same time, he vehemently opposed the idea of changing one’s religion. His opposition to religious conversion is reflected in the following statement. “Supposing a Christian came to me and said he was captivated by a reading of the Bhagwat and so wanted to declare himself a Hindu, I should say to him, ‘No. What the Bhagwat offers the Bible also offers. You have not yet made the attempt to find it out. Make the attempt and be a good Christian.’”

Since Gandhi believed in the equality of religions, he encouraged interfaith fellowship. According to him, the aim of a Fellowship of Faiths “should be to help a Hindu to become a better Hindu, a Mussalman to become a better Mussalman, and a Christian a better Christian.”

In the light of Gandhi’s views on religion, there is an urgent need for creating understanding and harmony among followers of different religions. People are to be seen first and foremost as human beings, and not belonging to a particular religion. As humans, we must fight against the issues affecting all of us like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, corruption etc. instead of fighting in the name of religion and caste. All have to be aware of the dangers of spreading hate news and desist from spreading fake news and prejudice against individuals and communities, especially through social media platforms.

In a write up titled, “Indian liberals must reconsider their rejection of Mahatma Gandhi” in The Print on October 2, 2019, Shivam VIJ argued that the failure of the Congress and the so called secular parties to follow the Gandhian principles and strategies were responsible for the phenomenal rise of Hindutva groups. “The burial of Gandhi has helped in the rise of Hindutva. Yet, the only people to whom Mahatma Gandhi matters is the Hindutva right. They cannot reject him as easily as they have discarded Nehru. Modi’s answer is to reduce Gandhi to sanitation. Sooner or later, they will find a way to appropriate Gandhi as a good Hindu as opposed to the bad Nehru.” 

In recent years, the Congress party has been accused of adopting soft Hindutva in order to compete with the Hard Hindutva of the BJP. A recent statement of Rahul Gandhi is depicted as an example of the soft Hindutva approach of the Congress. At a rally in Jaipur on 12th December, he said, “This is a country of Hindus, not Hindutvawadis … Hindutvawadis have to be ousted, and the rule of Hindus brought about in the country." In his attempt to make a distinction between Hindus and Hindutvawadis he made a blunder of making India “a land of Hindus” and stressed that “the rule of Hindus” needed to be restored in the country. His statement could be construed as majoritarian rule in India. 

The need of the hour is that all secular parties have to accept and celebrate the Gandhian ideal of equality of all religions, which is also a core principle of the Indian Constitution. Two most significant principles of Mahatma Gandhi that are relevant today not only to India but also to the whole world are: a) equality of all religions and respecting all religions, and b) non-violent method of conflict resolution and conflict prevention. On the other hand, the right-wing organizations believe in majoritarianism and they advocate violence as a means to achieve their goals.

One of the prime reasons for the glorification of Godse seems to be the failure to promote Gandhian ideals and principles, especially among the youth. “The teachings of Mahatma Gandhi are on the wane and the ideology of his killer, Nathuram Godse, is dominating over it," Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi said on the death anniversary of Gandhiji this year. Hate speeches and videos against Mahatma Gandhi are being widely circulated on the social media platforms by the right-wing groups. The young people who are not taught about Mahatma Gandhi and his contributions swallow the rubbish they get on Gandhi through social media. 

In order to counter the brainwashing of the youth with hate messages against Mahatma Gandhi, his ideals and principles are to be disseminated through social media platforms. Students, especially school students, are to be encouraged and motivated to read the autobiography of Gandhi, My Experiments with Truth, and see the movie, “Gandhi” directed and produced by Richard Attenborough. While showing the movie, students are to be given running commentary with regard to the significance and relevance of various events in the life of Gandhi. The movie session is to be followed by discussion in which the relevance and application of Gandhian values and principles are to be explained. The birth and death anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi are to be celebrated in all educational institutions with seminars/workshops/talks on the life and contribution of the Father of the Nation. 

Keeping alive Gandhi through the practice and promotion of Gandhian principles and values is the best way to withstand the efforts to annihilate him. It is also the way to sustain the millennial heritage of India vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the whole world is a family) and ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti (Truth is one, wise perceive it differently) and thereby maintain unity and harmony in India.