I haven’t denigrated Gandhi or glorified Godse in my book: Anup
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 29 January 2016 21:12 IST
Anup Sardesai, the release of whose book has been objected to on the Martyrs’ Day, says he has neither denigrated Mahatma Gandhi nor glorified Nathuram Godse for killing the Mahatma.
“On the contrary, I have condemned the assassination but has told the story of assassination which was not told to the country till date”, he told goanews.com.
He thus feels that 30th January, which the nation observes as the Martyr’s Day, is the right occasion to release the book: ‘Nathuram Godse: The story of an Assassin’.
The government-funded Ravindra Bhavan in Margao has withdrawn his hall booking to release the book tomorrow, following public protests.
The engineer-turned-writer has now decided to go ahead with his function elsewhere, but on the scheduled date and time – 6.30 pm - in Margao.
“We will decide about the venue by tomorrow morning, but I am definitely releasing the book on Martyr’s Day, the day Mahatma Gandhi was killed”, says the 45-year old writer.
Sardesai said he did not mind opposing the book after reading it, but not based on preconceived notions.
“Don’t judge the book by its cover. And restraining entry of the people for the book release function is definitely not Gandhigiri or the mode of Satyagraha Gandhiji preached”, says the writer.
After taking voluntary retirement from the PWD in 2010, the mechanical engineer says he researched the book for three long years and has arrived at certain conclusions.
“It is a story of assassination narrated through the viewpoint of Nathuram and also about how Veer Savarkar was falsely implicated in Gandhi assassination and how Godse’s family was harassed”, says the writer based in Candolim.
Sardesai claims he has described the whole modus operandi of the assassination conspiracy hatched by total 7 people, including Nathuram.
GODSE NOT A RELIGIOUS FANATIC
Though Godse left the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1937 within five years of joining to become the member of Savarkar’s Hindu Mahasabha, Sardesai claims Godse’s plan to assassinate Gandhi was masterminded neither by Hindu Mahasabha nor Veer Savarkar.
“My book states with evidence how fabricated evidence was gathered to implicate Savarkar in the murder case”, says Sardesai, who runs a Guest House at Candolim.
He says the book in fact tells how the Hindu Mahasabha today glorifies Godse as the champion of the Hindu cause, when his action was political and not religious.
But not religion was the politics of Hindu Mahasabha? He says, not of Nathuram Godse.
“I have arrived at a conclusion in this book that Godse’s action was political and not religious fanaticism as is being projected”, says Sardesai.
GANDHI’S FAST WAS THE CAUSE
What is the political reason, which he says was not religious?
According to the young writer, Gandhi’s fast-unto-death, which lasted for seven days in the second week of January 1948 became the cause of his assassination.
One of the seven conditions he laid down was sending the Hindus from Pakistan back to the newly created country, which Godse and his colleagues could not bear.
“I am not justifying whether this was a right decision of Godse. I am simply placing the facts”, he said.
Following this, Sardesai says he is planning the second book within a year, called “Saffron Terrorism: Truth or Conspiracy?”
It is based on arresting Pragya Thakur, Shrikant Purohit and 10 others without filing any chargesheet for the last seven years.
Sardesai also claims that he does not belong to any group or organisation.
Congratulations Mr. A Sardesai. I have not read the book, but kudos to you for standing up to your effort. Politician V Sardesai, please read the book and then judge it. Give the young writer an opportunity, he has put in a lot of effort which you as a politician will obviously not understand. How "tolerant" are you by objecting to the release of this book? Politicians today need to practice what they preach. They just rake up issues to create some sensation, and Alas!!!!! how these stupid Goans (especially Catholics) fall for these gimmicks of the shrewd politicians.
UTT Goenkara......Vijai tumkam fottoita!!!!! tumcho parajay korta!!!!