Fight those elements who glorify actions of Godse: Jairam Ramesh

NEW DELHI: Congress General Secretary in Charge of Communications Jairam Ramesh on Monday vowed to fight those elements who glorify the ideas and actions of Godse.

"On this Gandhi Jayanti, let us stand with those Gandhian organisations in different parts of the country, especially Varanasi, Ahmedabad and New Delhi which are under siege and assault by the forces who not only fought the Mahatma all his life but played a key role in creating a climate that led to his assassination. Let us pledge to fight those elements who glorify the ideas and actions of Godse," Jairam Ramesh posted on X (Formerly Twitter).

He further said that he vowed to expose the complete hypocrisy of those who appropriate Gandhian symbols and project his legacy to the world, but are simply unable and unwilling to uphold the values he championed.

"This Gandhi Jayanti, let us expose the total and complete hypocrisy of those who appropriate Gandhian symbols — his spectacles, charkha and walking stick — and project his legacy to the world, but are simply unable and unwilling to uphold all the values he championed and ultimately laid down his life for," he said in a post.

Ramesh further recalled that the Mahatma practised complete transparency and openness, lacked any revengeful feelings for his opponents, and insisted on shedding bigotry, prejudice, and hatred.

"This Gandhi Jayanti, let us recall that the Mahatma practised complete transparency and openness, lacked any revengeful feelings for his opponents, insisted on shedding bigotry, prejudice, and hatred, and never misused religion to inflame people’s passions. Vengeance and showmanship was alien to his character," he added.

"This Gandhi Jayanti, let us all resolve to work towards the victory of truth over lies, and ensure that the politics of compassion prevails over the politics of hate, vengeance, and prejudice," he said.

Earlier today, Congress national president and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge paid tribute to Gandhi at Rajghat.

Born on October 2, 1869, in Porbandar town of Gujarat, Mahatma Gandhi or Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi adopted a non-violent resistance and was at the forefront of the freedom struggle against colonial British rule.

This led to India finally achieving its independence in 1947.

Fondly known as Bapu, his unwavering belief in 'Swaraj' (self-governance) and 'Ahimsa' (non-violence) won him accolades across the world. Globally, Gandhi's birth anniversary is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.