Godse's version not allowed to come up, says grandnephew

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MARGAO

The grandnephew of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse, Satyaki Ashok Savarkar on Saturday said that successive governments and people who claim to be Gandhians had never allowed the version of Nathuram Ghodse to come up before the people of India since the time of the assassination.

“Though the governments of the day and people who claim to be Gandhians have never allowed the true story of Nathuram Godse to see light of the day, we will continue our efforts to bring Godse’s version before the people”, Savarkar said after releasing the book Nathuram Godse, the story of an Assassin authored by Anup Ashok Sardesai at the MMC hall, Margao this evening.

Speaking further, Savarkar pointed out that a host of factors might have gone behind Godse’s decision to assassinate Gandhiji, including Gandhiji’s stand on the partition, the riots and the refugees issue.

He, however, lamented that Godse’s version has not come before the people because of the government machinery. “First, the government had banned the launch of a book on Godse and had later put hurdles on the natak on Godse”, he said.

In his address, author Anup Ashok Sardesai pointed out that he has not found any evidence that proves that Gandhiji’s assassination was an act of religious fanaticism. “Godse does not have any past record of indulging in acts of communal violence or religious fanaticism. In fact, they were young men who hailed from respectable and educated families. So what could have roused them to take such a drastic step is a big step that has been kept a closely guarded secret for almost 70 years”, Anup said.

“I have tried to take a close look at the chronology of events that took place during the aftermath of partition that influenced Godse to take such an extreme step”, he said, while reiterating that he does not intend to denigrate the Mahatma nor glorify his assassin, but simply wants to ask these “so-called” historians and intellectuals of the country as to why are the people of India told lies that Mahatma Gandhi was a victim of religious fanaticism and why is the story of his assassination being exploited by the political class to gain political mileage.

The book released function was shifted to the MCC hall by the author after the Ravindra bhavan, Margao withdrew permissions for the event on Friday evening following government intervention after the Goa Forward Party threatened to hold close all entry points to the Ravindra bhavan through satyagraha for allowing the government premises for release of the book.