Flaying efforts by major political parties to claim the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and to appropriate his name, Ramachandra Guha, historian and writer, has said that, taking the name of the Gandhiji for political gains without displaying commitment to his initiatives amounts to disservice to him.
Delivering the Shanthinath Desai memorial endowment lecture at Kuvempu University in Shankaraghatta near here on Wednesday, he said that the claims by the leadership of Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress of striving to fulfill the dreams of Gandhiji were spurious and false.
Expressing regret on the efforts to pit Mahatma Gandhi against social reformer Dr. B.R. Ambedkar by highlighting the issue-based differences between these leaders, he said that both the leaders are architects of modern India and strong commitment to the principles of democracy, cultural pluralism and social justice, formed their common ground. Partial reading of their personalities can lead to erroneous conclusions, he said.
Mr. Guha said that, while Gandhiji humbled the mighty British by employing peace and non-violence as weapons in the freedom struggle initiated by him, Dr. Ambedkar strived for the eradication of discrimination practiced in the name of caste and for the upliftment of the marginalised sections of the society.
Even Gandhiji also strived for eradication of untouchability by initiating programmes like temple-entry of Dalits, promoting inter-dining and inter-caste marriages, he said.
Regarding the views expressed by Gandhiji on modern industrial civilisation in his celebrated work ‘Hind Swaraj’, he said that, Gandhiji was opposed to the hubris created by the modern industrial civilisation and its detrimental impact on the environment.
He said that, being a multi-faceted talent, Gandhiji was a creative writer, political philosopher, social reformer and an organiser par excellence.
The programme was organised by Department of Postgraduate Studies in English of Kuvempu University. B.P. Veerabhadrappa, Vice Chancellor and Rachel Bari, Chairperson of the department were present.
