Gandhi Martyrdom Day: Left Parties and Congress Take out March

Kolkata: Prominent Left parties of the state and Congress today held a joint rally from Ramlila Maidan to Beleghata Gandhi Bhawan premises to commemorate M K Gandhi’s death anniversary on Saturday.

It can be recalled that it was in this Bhawan that Gandhi had sat on a hunger strike  during the Noakhali riots and had proceeded to Noakhali later from here.

Those participating in the march today held placards condemning the legacy of Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse -- which is even today celebrated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and many of the BJP leaders. Some of the slogans raised today were ‘Identify, excommunicate, defeat todays’ Nathurams’ and ‘Nahuram’s history, shame, shame’.

Left Front Chairman Biman Basu, CPI(M) State Secretary Suryakanta Mishra, CPI(M) Polit Bureau Member Md Salim, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and Congress leader Abdul Mannan, Congress leaders Pradip Bhattacharya and Amitava chakraborty, RSP General Secretary Manoj Bhattacharya, Forward Block State Secretary Naren Chatterjee, CPI leader Tapan Ganguly, among others were present for the march.

Tracing from his memories, Biman Basu narrated how the entire country had reacted to Gandhi assasination on January 30, 1948. He spoke about how the news coverage was prominent and how the popular sentiment rose in favour of banning RSS. He said that those who are now giving slogans in support of Nathuram "are trying India’s constitution". He also appealed to all to fight the politics of hatred of the Sangh parivar.  

Addressing the assembled gathering Md Salim said that not the farmers but by handing over Lal Quila to the Dalmias, the government has harmed the age-old national monument. “It is the legacy of Nathuram being established now and hence slogans like “Goli maro salon ko” are being raised. Khudiram’s Bengal won’t forget to identify the ideologues of Nathuram and they will never get the chance to form a government in Bengal,” he said.

Congress leader Abdul Mannan said that Gandhi is not an emblem for only India, but for the entire world. Referring to the attempt at making Godse’s temple by the Sangh/BJP members, he said it is unfortunate that while the UN remembers Gandhi fondly, some in India are celebrating Godse’s legacy. “This is a day to take an oath to fight Gandhi’s assassins and their legacy,” he said.