In defence of Mahatma Gandhi!

Now days it has become a fashion to condemn and criticize our great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi (Bapu) and our first PM Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru and thus achieve cheap popularity as Pseudo-Intellectual. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose differed from Gandhi Ji on dealing with the British Government through nonviolence. He left the Congress went abroad and launched an armed struggle by leading an Army known as INA. In his first address from the foreign soil he paid obeisance to Mahatma Gandhi and called him ‘Bapu’ or ‘Father of the Nation’.

Mahatma Gandhi regarded himself as father of whole India. As head of the whole country it was duty to look after the welfare of all the citizens especially the poor and the downtrodden. He had to work for the fulfillment of the wishes and appreciations of all the people irrespective of caste and creed. In such a big perspective, it was natural for him to ignore his personal family. That is why he could not take proper care of his sons and could not wok for their settlement. Consequently, Mahatma Gandhi’s eldest son Mr. Harilal Gandhi went astray and became a rebel. Gandhi Ji could not reform because there were many people to mislead and ill advise his son and thus fish in troubled water.

Mahatma Gandhi is accused of having narrow vision of rural economy and being against modern development. The march of time has proved that he was right. Modern problems that have cropped up in the form of pollution of every kind affecting our physical as well as mental health have made our life hell. If we had followed the path we would not have suffered.

Bapu believed in self-reliance. We have given up this policy and have invited Multi-National Companies. We shall see its result in near future. He understood self-reliance and its benefits. Mahatma Gandhi supported peace and nonviolence. There is so much disturbance and upheaval in the world because we do not follow his principle of peace and nonviolence. Gandhi Ji differentiated between nonviolence and helpness. Nonviolence can work only when one has power and capacity to punish one’s adversary. Otherwise it is cowardice and violence is better than cowardice. That is why Gandhi Ji supported India’s Military Action in Kashmir when Pakistan committed Kashmir Agreement in 1948.

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Bapu is the father of the nation in real sense just as (St.) Mother Teresa is mother and Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru is Chacha Nehru. We should not insult them by accruing and denigrating them because in this way we show our littleness and prove our worthlessness and ingratitude.