Spitting at the Sun Assassination of Gandhi : Facts vs. Falsehood Edited by : Chunibhai Vaidya Translated by : Ramesh Dave First Published : 1998 Printed by: Umiya Offset, Tavdipura, Ahmedabad - 380 014, India. Published by: Gujarat Loksamiti, Loksamiti Compound, Lal Darwaja, Ahmedabad - 380 001 Spitting at the Sun TELL THE WORLD If I die of a lingering illness, nay even by as much as a boil or a pimple, it will be your duty to proclaim to the world, even at the risk of making people angry with you, that I was not the man that I claimed to be. If you do that it will give my spirit peace. Note down this also that if someone were to end my life by putting a bullet through me—as someone tried to do with a bomb the other day—and I met his bullet without a groan, and breathed my last taking God's name, then alone would I have made good my claim. - Gandhi (The words uttered less than twenty hours before his death) www.mkgandhi.org Page 2 Spitting at the Sun ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Pravin Sheth Shri Chunibhai Vaidya is a committed sarvodaya worker. Even at 88, Shri Vaidya, as an able leader of Gujarat Lok Samiti, continues to make significant contribution to the fields of water management, land to the landless, Gandhian thought and action, secularism and equitable development. Inspired by Gandhi's struggle for freedom, Shri Vaidya left formal education to get experience in the school of life. Remaining underground, he worked against the British Raj during the Quit India Movement. He then joined Shri Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan Movement. Along with Narayan Desai and Prabodh Choksi, he was one of the founders of Yajnya Prakashan Samiti, and later on he edited 'Bhoomiputra'. Twice, he had lived in Kashi to look after the publications of Sarva Seva Sangh. During Shri Vinobaji's Assam Yatra, he went to Assam. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Chinese aggression, following Vinobaji's directive, he stayed on there for twelve years. On his return to Gujarat, he worked as the editor of 'Bhoomiputra'. Its role as the fearless voice against the Emergency landed him into jail for seven months. 'Bhoomiputra' made history by winning the case against pre-censorship of the government. Shri Vaidya then took up the leadership of Gujarat Lok Samiti and led many a successful battle on issues like pension of Gujarat MLAs, and closure of the liquor shop at Ratanpur. As an active member of the peace committee of the Nagarika Sangathan, he contributed to restoring peace and bringing about the amicable settlement of the dispute around reservation issue during the turbulent agitation of 1985 in Gujarat. Shri Vaidya's perseverance is reflected in his half a decade long successful struggle to attain the riparian rights of communities living in the downstream region of the river Banas. He initiated the modified concept of the hidden dam in the Sipu-Banas areas. Such dams have become symbols of grass-root www.mkgandhi.org Page 3 Spitting at the Sun development for water conservation. More than 10,000 Bighas of land areirrigated by these dams. On behalf of the Sarva Seva Sangh, and Gujarat Sarvoday Mandal, he successfully carried out the movement against the multinational Cargill Corporation. The Gujarat government had sold public land of 200 Bighas in Kadadara village to an MNC. He led the villagers' struggle against such a deal, which forced the government to abandon it. And he still leads number of movements on the issues of justice to the poor, communal harmony, land to the landless, a mega-port etc. His sensitivity developed while undertaking relief work in the arid regions of Gujarat during 1986-88; and the awareness about the scarce water resources led him to support the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project and carry out pro-dam movement. He undertook rehabilitation of 230 plus riot affected families in Gujarat in 2002 post Godhara riots and helped reconstruction work in Kutch, post Kutch earthquake. Recently the virus of communalism is systematically sought to be spread by the champions of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi. This has led Shri Vaidya to write a booklet in Gujarati as an ideational counterpoint, which, by now, has been translated and published in eleven languages. Shri Vaidya has succeeded in reviving our faith in Gandhi at a time when we need to follow him the most. www.mkgandhi.org Page 4 Spitting at the Sun LIGHT BEYOND DARKNESS Prakash N. Shah All of us, especially the rising and pulsating generation, will remain grateful to Chunikaka for setting forth, in a dialogue form, some of the fundamental ideas, in a climate in which the cult of killing appears to be the order of the day as it were. Our struggle for freedom and its leadership of Gandhi constitute an epic of our times, spanning over the earlier half of the twentieth century, the way Ramayana and Mahabharata present the living images of our cultural transitions and tensions involved in the social change of earlier times. Of late, there has been going on a sort of continual symposium at the rate of three sessions a day on misinformation and disinformation about Gandhi, who attained the bliss of death while leading an epic life as Socrates and Jesus did, rather more so as Lincoln did. And there seems to have been generated an environment in which the elements and forces indulging in the inhuman politics of the cult of killing masquerade as the authorities on our national life. In this context, the controversy centering round the play, "Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy" furnishes an opportunity for the crystallization of ideas in the new era. Chunikaka has drawn very well its constructive quintessence which throws light on the personality and action of one with whose help and support we have to move into the twenty-first century as well as understand what to give up for going forward. www.mkgandhi.org Page 5 Spitting at the Sun A WORD OR TWO Chunibhai Vaidya The Gandhians suffer from an apparent handicap. They hardly study, but tend to be up to their neck in work. Needless to say, I am, too, one of them. But the moment there was commotion at Mumbai and Delhi in reaction against the staging of Pradeep Dalvi's play, 'Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy' [I, Nathuram Godse Speak], they woke up with a start as it were. Thanks to the write-ups of Prakash N. Shah, Jagan Fadnis, Ramesh Oza and others and particularly to my conversations with Prakash, I gathered more relevant information than I was aware of. This furnished a vital context to the writing of this brochure. We could venture to present it to the readers because of the zest of friends who wished to disseminate it. While preparing this booklet I was not unmindful of the facts that the bigot followers of all religions had fallen a prey to dogmatism culminating into fanaticism, intolerance, and violence and also that Hinduism was regarded the world over as one of the most pluralistic religions and catholic in essence and practice. I was also aware of the fact that the Bharatiya Janata Party had very recently, in its organ "BJP Today", had come out with an article which implied that Godse played a tool in the hands of the British Imperialists. Indeed, no sane person, not to talk of a national party, could own up a heinous crime as the one committed by Godse. But I must add, much more will have to be done to clear the dust gathered till now. I am sorry, there might be some insinuations against RSS in this small work, and that too in spite of the organisation's publicly disowning of the perpetrator of crime. But its anti-Muslim and anti-Gandhi mindsets are two handicaps—one born and the other acquired. These are also denied, but its followers and their deeds tell a different story altogether. I wish I were wrong. I am thankful to Shri Bang Saheb of Sarva Seva Sangh who expressed his readiness to send its Hindi version round the Hindi speaking world while at the same time assuring me to endeavour to render it in all the other Indian languages as far as possible. Gandhi did not belong to Gujarat alone, nor to www.mkgandhi.org Page 6 Spitting at the Sun India alone either. He belonged to the whole of humanity. He admitted of no frontiers of caste, creed or nationality that tend to divide man and man. We thought it desirable, that this little document of facts, centering round the assassination of Gandhi, were also put in the world language. And hence the English version for readers at home and abroad. Professor Ramesh Dave, putting aside all his commitments, attended to my SOS and took great care while translating the original Gujarati into English. I am happy to see that it reads as if it was originally written in English. His Epilogue is a sensitive summing-up. I can't help acknowledging the contribution of Dr Pravin Sheth, Shri C.N. Patel and his daughter Dina Patel, and my young colleague Sagar Rabari who shared my concern for improving the book as far as possible. The encouraging response of so many readers who have read this little book has overwhelmed me. This is the real source of support to my endeavors. I shall feel gratified if this little book enables me to serve a little the cause of truth. www.mkgandhi.org Page 7 Spitting at the Sun SOME POINTS DEALT WITH IN THIS BOOK 1. The foremost is the freedom of ideas and expression. One might argue that Godse was free to have his own approach and gag Gandhi's utterances, even to eliminate him heinously! But how about the logic of those who misinterpret the ban on a play, based on utter distortion of truth, as a violation of the fundamental freedom of expression, particularly when the sole motive of writing the play was to justify the assassination of one of the greatest men of our age, and cause grave and widespread provocation? 2. The chronology of attempts to kill Gandhi. 3. So far as the question of crime and punishment is concerned, the state alone has the authority to punish, none else. 4. The excuses put forward for assassination are fabricated—patent lies. Even long before there was anywhere a brainwave of partition, there were attempts on Gandhi's life. Why? 5. The efforts to bring the Muslims into the mainstream of the nation were there prior even to Gandhi's return home: separate electorates; the part played by the other leaders in securing greater measure of representation for Muslims exceeding their legitimate share etc. Gandhi never took any partisan stand. 6. The concept of Pakistan; the open though unconscious support of the Hinduists. 7. The ambivalent process of accepting as well as alienating the Muslims. 8. A sense of futility and helplessness of the so-called Hindu protagonists in the face of Gandhi's faith in God, religion, humanity, and unity. 9. Gandhi's pursuit of integral oneness vs. the reactionary process of the separatist Hinduists. 10. A Gobellian move to defame Gandhi and the Indian National Congress: "Repeat a lie a hundred times and people will start taking it as truth." www.mkgandhi.org Page 8 Spitting at the Sun 11. The nationalist Mahomedans and the Indian National Congress. 12. Mountbatten's ultimatum—a puzzle for the Congress. 13. The sense of betrayal—helpless reconciliation with the inevitable. 14. An incomprehensible demand of the Hinduists: Why did Gandhi not join hands with the others who were opposed to partition? 15. The problem of fifty-five crores of rupees—the rejection of tit for tat policy—the universal moral principle. 16. The reason why Gandhi pervaded all over. 17. Why was the conspiracy to kill Gandhi hatched? Who was responsible? 18. Gandhi's harsh words not merely to the misguided Hindus but also to the Muslims. www.mkgandhi.org Page 9 Spitting at the Sun DIALOGUE Q: Is not the ban on the play, "Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy", a violation of the fundamental freedom of expression of thought? Godse firmly believed that his act was a ritual, and there was at bottom a religious thought. This play delineates that Gandhivadh like 'Sisupalvadh' was an act prompted by religion. An idea should be refuted only by an idea, not by the ban that strangles expression. A: Let us begin with the last argument first. When you argue that an idea should only be answered by an idea and not a ban, could one put a simple question? What did Godse do? Did he answer an idea with an idea? One is intrigued by the logic that upholds Godse's right to assassinate Gandhi, just to gag for ever his freedom of expression, and all the same condemn the ban on the play, based on utter falsehood and calculated to justify the inhuman killing and cause grave and widespread provocation, as the violation of a fundamental freedom. The crime that Godse perpetrated cannot be undone. It puts us in the mind of the saying, "Even Satan can cite scriptures", particularly when the heretical deed of taking the life of a universally revered great man is described as an act of religion, a sacrificial ritual. Next, the freedom of expression is indeed a fundamental freedom but not a charter of license. If there is in the Constitution section 19(1) regarding the fundamental freedom of expression as a basic right, there is section 19(2) also to curb its abuse. The Constitution has legally accepted dissent. That is precisely the reason why the leader of the opposition enjoys the same privileges and status as a cabinet minister. Nonetheless, it is not limitless, it is liable to certain restraints. What happens when one while exercising his autonomy of expression, lets himself lose all sense of veracity and discretion and acts in a way detrimental to the society? Then there is no way; the state ought to intervene. The society cannot do so lest it should be tantamount to taking law in their hands. It might perhaps sometimes seem to be proper, but often inappropriate, even disastrous. www.mkgandhi.org Page 10