“If he is Gandhi’s killer, he is also India’s sapoot [good son]. He was born in India, and he was not an invader like Aurangzeb and Babar. And, whosoever feels happy to be called the son of Babar, that person can’t be the son of Bharat Mata.”
The above comment on Nathuram Godse — who killed Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 — by Union Minister and senior BJP leader Giriraj Singh has kicked up a controversy in Chhattisgarh with the Congress calling it an insult to the Father of the Nation.
In a video that surfaced on the social media on Friday, Mr. Singh, who is currently touring the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, is heard making the statement. The video is said to have been recorded in Dantewada.
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While the context in which he makes a reference to Godse is not clear, the Hindi word sapoot has a positive connotation with kapoot being used for someone bad, evil or unworthy.
State Congress spokesperson Sushil Anand Shukla said Mr. Giriraj Singh had insulted the Father of the Nation by glorifying Godse whom Mr. Shukla described as the first terrorist of independent India.
“Godse was the first terrorist of independent India. He had killed the Father of the Nation. The stains of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination are on Godse. Big and small leaders of the BJP have praised Godse at some point or the other. By calling him a son of Mother India, Union Minister Giriraj has insulted the people of India. The Congress questions the BJP, the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as to how much they agree with their Minister’s statement,” Mr. Shukla said, adding that the BJP’s pro-Godse face had once again come to the fore.
On Friday evening, The Hindu spoke to Arun Sao, State president of the BJP, seeking a reaction to Mr. Singh’s statement. He said he was not aware of the footage or the controversy surrounding it.
