Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: In a notable statement, PS Sreedharan Pillai, the Governor of Goa, didn’t mince words as he referred to Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, as “the curse of India.” Pillai, a former two-time president of the BJP in Kerala, made this declaration during the launch event of ‘Gandhi vs Godse,’ a book authored by Veliyam Rajeev, in Kollam.
During his extensive one-hour address, the Governor emphasized the principles of Gandhian philosophy while seldom mentioning Godse, the Hindu extremist responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948. Notably, Godse was associated with the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the Hindu Mahasabha.
Governor Pillai shared, “Godse should not have done that, whatever the reason.” However, it was in his closing remarks that he firmly condemned Godse, stating, “I bow before the memory of Gandhiji. Till the world exists, Gandhiji’s ideology will light the path of humanity. I would also like to add that Godse will exist as a curse of this land.”
This statement stands in stark contrast to the views expressed by certain other BJP leaders, such as Pragya Thakur, a Member of Parliament, who had controversially hailed Godse as a ‘deshbhakt’ (patriot) during a parliamentary debate in 2019.
Governor Pillai also sought to clarify that the RSS was not to be held responsible for Gandhi’s assassination, referencing the Kapur Commission’s findings. The Commission, established in 1966 to investigate the conspiracy behind Gandhi’s murder, had its report presented in Parliament by then Prime Minister Morarji Desai. The report explicitly stated that the RSS had no role in Gandhi’s murder, a fact that Pillai lamented wasn’t widely acknowledged, asserting, “The truth was buried in our democratic country, as not a single copy of the report exists.”
