Human rights activist Tushar Gandhi talks about the erasure of his great-grandfather Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals, and how Hindutva has weakened the fabric of society https://thefederal.com/category/features/tushar-gandhi-interview-dont-know-how-long-india-will-hold-together-99401
There is talk that Mahatma Gandhi is being erased. Do you agree? TG : What is being attempted is to erase the ideas of Gandhi: truth, ahimsa (non-violence), inclusiveness and equality. These are the cornerstones on which man has built civilisations. The hate campaign against him is systematically orchestrated and conducted. The government has created a Gandhi, which is convenient: the Gandhi of his spectacles and of cleanliness. They don’t want a Gandhi who is pointing a finger and saying, ‘You are wrong’. They have erased him from textbooks. But they are also erasing whole chunks of history, which is not acceptable to their viewpoint.
Do you detect a pervasive fear in your travels around the country?
I do. The liberal and secular-minded people feel they are in a minority. They are feeling intimidated. The minorities are always fearful. There is a concerted campaign to terrorise the Muslims and Christians: the mob-lynching, the economic boycotts, and hate speeches. They also target the lower castes.
The Bahujans, Adivasis and Dalits may be over 60 percent of the population, which is why the Centre does not want to conduct a national census.