On Gandhi Jayanti, Hindu Mahasabha unveils Nathuram Godse's first-ever statue in Meerut

In a first, the members of the Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, Nathuram Godse, at their Meerut office on Gandhi Jayanti, reported The Times of India. While the nation remembered Mahatma Gandhi on his 147th birth anniversary, the right-wing Hindu outfit marked Gandhi’s birthday as ‘Dhikkar Divas’, the report said. [caption id=“attachment_2079901” align=“aligncenter” width=“825”] A file image of Nathuram Godse (R), Hindu Mahasabha activists (L). CNN-News18.[/caption] The newspaper quoted Pandit Ashok Sharma, national vice-president of the outfit, as saying: “Our step signifies that it’s time all Indians stop following Gandhi’s footsteps and start worshipping Godse.” The Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha shares similar Hindutva ideology with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Firstpost writer Sandipan Sharma writes that the speculation of Godse’s RSS links is common knowledge. That his brother Gopal, a co-conspirator in the case, who was sentenced for life, had also claimed that they were part of the RSS, is also widely known. In August this year, Rahul Gandhi had blamed the RSS for Gandhi’s assassination which ended up with a defamation case against him . “RSS people killed Gandhiji and today their people (BJP) talk of him…They opposed Sardar Patel and Gandhiji,” Rahul had said while addressing a public rally in Thane district. It was initially in 2014, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha had triggered a controversy by asking the government to provide space for installing busts of Nathuram Godse at different locations in the country. Mahasabha national president Chandra Prasad Kaushik had sought a debate on the entire issue and said that the reasons given in the court by Godse for killing Gandhi should be made public. Last year, the Mahasabha had commemorated the 66th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse as ‘ Balidan Divas ’ and launched a website on his life even as a senior RSS ideologue disapproved of any action “glorifying” him.