Civil society groups condemn BJP-RSS for targeting Tushar Gandhi

Mumbai: Prominent citizens and civil society groups under the banner of 'Hum Bharat Ke Log' on Saturday condemned the RSS and BJP for seeking the arrest of Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi for comments made during an event in Kerala.

Gandhi, during the recent unveiling of a statue of the late Gandhian P Gopinathan Nair at Neyyattinkara in Thiruvananthapuram, had referred to the BJP and RSS as "dangerous and insidious enemies". He had also termed the RSS as "poison", following which Sangh Parivar workers shouted slogans and blocked his car.

A statement issued by 'Hum Bharat Ke Log', which was signed by prominent citizens like Medha Patkar, GG Parikh and Prashant Bhushan, said the entire nation is shocked and appalled at the fact that Tushar Gandhi has been heckled by an RSS/BJP mob at an event held to mark 100 years of the momentous meeting of Mahatma Gandhi and revered social reformer Sri Narayana Guru.

During his speech, Tushar Gandhi, who works tirelessly for the cause of communal harmony and fearlessly opposes the politics of hate, went on to say that "we will be able to defeat the BJP, but the RSS is poison", the statement said.

"They are trying to destroy the soul of the country. We should be fearful about that because if the soul is lost, everything is lost," Tushar Gandhi had said.

The statement said RSS-BJP workers demanded that Tushar Gandhi take back his words and apologise.

While they tried to stop his car, he drove away after raising the slogan "Gandhi ki jai", the statement said.

He also refused to file a case against the agitators, the statement added.

Former Union Minister and BJP leader V Muraleedharan had demanded that Tushar Gandhi be arrested for his statements based on the BJP's complaint.

"This is part of a larger pattern of intimidation, where prominent personalities like Tushar Gandhi are heckled, mobbed, trolled and threatened. The fascist nature of the RSS-BJP is evident for all to see. Despite the odds, Tushar Gandhi, like his great-grandfather Mahatma Gandhi, remains committed to the cause of communal harmony, even as the RSS-BJP continue to spread hate and indulging in hate crimes and divisive politics," the 'Hum Bharat Ke Log' statement said.

The statement said "we unequivocally stand with Tushar Gandhi and condemn any form of intimidation or violence against him" as he "represents that very legacy of our freedom movement, of Bapu, the legacy of striving for harmony and peace between various communities of India".

On Friday, speaking at an event in Aluva near Kochi, Tushar Gandhi said that once he said "those things", he does not believe in retracting them or apologising for them.

"What this incident has done is strengthen my resolve to continue to expose the traitors," he had asserted. PTI MR BNM