Bhopal: Congress demanded a case of treason against the right-wing outfit Hindu Mahasabha, as they installed a metallic statute of Nathuram Godse on 68th anniversary of the execution of Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte for assassinating Mahatma Gandhi. Meanwhile, BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) distanced themselves from the Hindu Mahasabha.
Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) on Tuesday had marked 68th anniversary of its former members Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte as Balidan Diwas and installed 32-inch metallic statue inside a makeshift temple.
“The statue was installed and the temple started amid chanting of Vedic shlokas, followed by the Abhishek of the idol of Nathuram Godse, who is a nationalist and patriot for us. The 32-inch golden coloured metallic idol has been fashioned by a local artist in Gwalior and funded out of money contributed by five of our leaders,” ABHM vice-president Dr. Jaiveer Bhardwaj told the New Indian Express.
“A week back we had submitted a request to the local administration in Gwalior seeking land and permission for building the Nathuram Godse temple, but the authorities refused permission. After this we decided to start the temple and install the idol in our organisation’s office for which we don’t need anyone’s permission,” said Bhardwaj.
The opposition protested on Bhopal streets, while Congress leader Ajay Singh ‘Rahul’ demanded a treason case against them, and sought state home minister’s resignation.
Another senior ABHM leader Kailash Narayan Sharma said: “We want to tell our young generations the true history that Godse was not a killer, but a Hindu nationalist, who eliminated Gandhiji to protest the slaughter of ten lakh Hindus due to country’s partition in 1947.”
The Congress leader added that the BJP outfits remain involved in bizarre acts and later BJP disown them.
VHP leader Rajesh Tiwari said, “Our organization had no part to play in the statue installation or temple plan.”
Hindu Mahasabha installs Godse’s statue marking his 68th execution anniversary
