Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, on Friday said that he will neither retract his recent statements against the RSS and BJP nor will he apologise for them, while the two saffron outfits demanded that he be arrested for his remarks.
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” who have entered Kerala.
He had also termed the RSS as “poison”, following which BJP-RSS workers shouted slogans and blocked his car.
On Friday, speaking at an event in Aluva near Kochi, 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. This is a fight which is even more essential than the freedom fight. We have a common enemy now, the Sangh. They must be exposed,” he said.
He also said that he was worried that “the descendants of my great grandfather’s murderers” will go to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue and fire bullets at it “as they are habituated to do”.
The BJP hit back at him by saying that he is just someone who was “by default” born as a descendant of Mahatma Gandhi and has been trying to “monetise” his great grandfather’s name.
Former Union Minister of State and BJP leader V Muraleedharan alleged that Tushar Gandhi has been for several years trying to “monetise” Mahatma Gandhi’s name.
Muraleedharan, speaking at a BJP protest against Tushar Gandhi at Neyyattinkara, further said that those who invited him for the statue unveiling probably were not aware of his background.
He further said that just because Tushar has the Gandhi name, it does not entitle him to the same respect or honour reserved for the Father of the Nation.
He demanded that Tushar Gandhi be arrested for his statements based on the BJP’s complaint.
The BJP leader also criticised the Pinarayi Vijayan government for arresting five RSS-BJP workers a day ago for raising slogans against Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson.
A case was registered against the five people under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 190, and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on charges of unlawful assembly, rioting, and wrongful restraint.
According to the police, a small group of people, allegedly linked to the Sangh Parivar, raised slogans against Tushar Gandhi at the end of a function he attended at Neyyattinkara on Wednesday evening.
Vijayan had strongly condemned the alleged “Sangh Parivar attack” on Tushar Gandhi, stating that actions that suppress freedom of expression cannot be allowed in a democratic society.
