jun 9th, 2007
here's a dissenting opinion on the mahatma from the pioneer. no URL, sorry.
The Pioneer, June 9, 2007
Revisiting the Mahatma
Second opinion: KR Phanda
There are at least three things ingrained in the Hindu mind about Mahatma Gandhi. One, he was pro-Hindu. Second, he brought freedom to India. Third, he was a Mahatma. All three are not free of questions.
At the outset, it needs to be made clear that Gandhi had pandered to Muslim demands throughout his political career without caring for the sentiments of Hindus. Before his death, he had gone on fast on the issue of the non-payment of Rs 55 crore by India to Pakistan as the latter had invaded Jammu & Kashmir.
In this context, VP Menon has recorded that the welfare of Muslims was always uppermost in the mind of Gandhi. He has written in the Transfer of Power in India, "It was a cause most dear to his heart. He lived for it - indeed he eventually died for it".
BR Ambedkar was also surprised at the anti-Hindu stance of the latter. In his book, Thoughts on Pakistan, he wrote, "These are not the only things which Gandhi has done to build up Hindu-Muslim unity. He has never called the Muslim to account even when they have been guilty of gross crimes against the Hindus."
That Gandhi brought freedom to India is another misconception. Some 46 countries were released from the colonial yoke after India and they had no Gandhi to lead them. Britain left them because it became economically unviable to hold on to these colonies. Another reason why British left India was because the Muslims had overwhelmingly voted for the creation of Pakistan in the 1945-46 elections and there was every possibility of a civil war breaking out in India.
That Gandhi was a Mahatma was also questioned by political leaders and journalists. Beverley Nicholos, a British journalist wrote the following about Gandhi in his book Verdict on India, "Nobody can dare to criticise him and yet remain a member of the Congress. A host of prominent Congress leaders had to leave the Congress as they had incurred the displeasure of the Mahatma. Nariman, Khare, Subhas Chandra Bose, Roy and Rajagopalachari, all at one time held positions of immense influence in the Congress, but their difference of opinion with one man alone in the Congress, Gandhi, led to their permanent expulsion".
In short, Gandhi was a dictator.
4 comments:
The test is poor though.
Ambedkar is at turns caustic, sarcastic, and plain angry about Gandhi's indulgence of the Islmicist leaders of the day, and peppers his rebuke with a rhetorical, "But for Mr.Gandhi the cause of xxxxxxx is dearer," or Mr.Gandhi will do anything for them..." Ambedkar's "Thoughts on Pakistan," being his last major revised work (2nd edition revised ~1945 11 years before his death) supersedes most everything earlier. There were many who were beyond patience with his ways by 1946. Dhananjay Keer's biography paints a more nuanced picture of the man's standing among his peers at that time. But we must not forget that that was only a small part of Gandhi's role in society. He was at that time going through some very radical change in his beliefs on caste (he had done much more about untouchability well before).
i have also critiqued gandhi for not quite getting the picture about caste. for instance, he went to kerala at the time of the vaikom satyagraha and he didn't quite have a good idea about what do about casteism. [as i have maintained, caste is a fine construct, but casteism, and not allowing practising hindus to enter temples is reprehensible.]
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