On this day (January 30) in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. A priest-class Brahmin, Godse blindly loved the basic principles of Hinduism. Logically therefore, he hated all kinds of superstitions including the caste hierarchy. Around that time, the RSS was vehemently fighting untouchability in India and sincerely engaged in social reforms and freedom movement activities.
After the demise of Lokamanya Tilak in 1920, Gandhiji’s influence over the Congress outfit increased multi-fold for his public awakening activities had already become phenomenally intense. The slogan of truth and nonviolence had endeared him to all Indians. But Godse had slowly become worried about Gandhi’s blind trust in the power of nonviolent resistance to the British. He considered it a moral duty to resist and overpower aggressors by use of force. He worshipped Chhatrapati Shivaji as hero for destroying the Muslim tyranny. If Shivaji had not killed an aggressive Afzal Khan, he would have lost his own life. Godse was worrying more and more as Gandhi kept condemning towering warriors like Shivaji, Rana Pratap and Guru Gobind Singh as misguided patriots. He suspected Gandhi was unwittingly exposing his own self-conceit. He began believing firmly that a paradoxical Gandhi was a violent pacifist who would cause irreparable damage to the nation. He could do pretty little to raise voice against Gandhi because he had already become a ‘Mahatma’ and the whole world was in awe of him.
Godse was very impressed with Gandhi's work in South Africa to uphold the rights and wellbeing of the Indian community there. But back home, Gandhi’s ways irked and infuriated Godse no end. Godse got enormously disillusioned mainly because Gandhi’s acts were too partial to Muslims, but his attitude to Hindus was callous.
Even when Hindi was being chosen as the national language, Gandhi, finding some Muslims opposing it, permitted a ‘hybrid' language to be the national language. He named it ‘Hindustani' which had no grammar and no original vocabulary. It was a mere dialect, a loose mixture of Hindi and Urdu words. His blind followers supported him and the hybrid language flourished for long. On record, all Bollywood movies mentioned ‘Hindustani' as the language for Hindi movies until the 1980s.
From August 1946, the private armies of the Muslim League began massacring Hindus. Viceroy Lord Wavell, though distressed at what was happening, could do precious little. The Hindu blood kept flowing between Bengal and Karachi with only some sporadic retaliation by the victim community. The Interim Government was evidently sabotaged by the constituent Muslim League members who became growingly disloyal and treasonable to the Government. But Gandhi’s infatuation for them was growing. Eventually, Lord Wavell resigned as he could not bring about a peaceful settlement; and Lord Mountbatten succeeded him. Thus, King Log was followed by King Stork. The Congress, which had boasted of unquestionable nationalism and socialism, secretly accepted ‘Pakistan’ under pressure, slyly surrendering to Jinnah's conditions. India was torn apart.
Watchful Godse screamed that Gandhi was not the father of the Indian Nation. He was actually the Father of Pakistan. Gandhi’s inner-voice, spiritual power and doctrine of nonviolence, of which so much is discussed, had all crumbled before Jinnah’s iron will. Godse knew if he opposed Gandhi vehemently, he would be totally ruined; all his honour, more valuable than life, would be lost forever. So if he killed Gandhi, the Indian political strategies would surely become practical. The suppressed armed forces would also become active and provide support too willingly. Godse knew his own future would be totally ruined, but the country would be rendered free to follow the right course for real good nation-building.
Godse admitted during the court trial that his shots were fired at the person whose policy and action had brought rack and ruin to millions of Hindus. Since there was no legal machinery by which a subtle, unseen offender could be brought to book, he fired those fatal shots.
“I bear no ill will towards anyone individually, but I do say I had no respect for the present Government owing to their policy which was unfairly favourable towards the Muslims. But at the same time, I could clearly see that the horrible anti-Hindu policy was entirely due to the presence of Gandhi,” he had said these last words before being declared guilty of murder by the trial court.
The national struggle reached its climax with the Partition of the country. The decades of struggle led by Gandhi who preached Hindu-Muslim unity finally ended with the partition into India and Pakistan. This event escalated matters and angered Godse, who believed that Gandhi had failed in his duty by consenting to the partition of the country. For example, Godse felt that Gandhi fasted when Hindu refugees occupied mosques in Delhi, but he did not raise a voice when Hindus were tortured by Muslims in, what is now, Pakistan.
Godse had further said at the court, “Nehru had played a critical role in the establishment of the Islamic state of Pakistan. His job was made easier by Gandhi’s persistent policy of appeasement towards the Muslims. But I do not desire any mercy to be shown to me nor do I wish that anyone else should beg for mercy on my behalf. I have no doubt that honest writers of history will weigh my act and find the true value thereof some day in future.”
The last demand by Gandhi to please Muslims in Pakistan had driven Godse mad. Gandhi told the five-month-old Government of India to cough out the Rs 55-crore due to Pakistan as part of the Partition settlement, then withheld because of its Kashmir invasion. Godse, Narayan Apte and other supporters decided to close the deal forever. They were aghast at Gandhi’s
pro-Pakistan stand.
They feared more damage would come if Gandhi lived. Godse assassinated Gandhi on January 30, 1948. The murder trial began on May 27, 1948 and concluded on February 10, 1949. Godse was sentenced to death.
No one can conclusively say today that unforgivable Nathuram Godse was not a patriot!