Nathuram Godse: The Hidden Untold Truth

by Anup SarDesai

One of the prominent personalities who attended the function were G.V. Ketkar, the grandson of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Addressing the function, Ketkar roared "I knew all about the plot to kill Gandhiji around six months in advance. Nathuram had told me all about this conspiracy when we had met at the Shivaji Mandir on the eve of India’s independence" In fact, Nathuram had referred to Gandhi’s wish of living up to the age of 125 years by telling Ketkar in a fit of rage ‘Pan tumhala zagu denaar kon?’ (But who will let you live for so long?) 81 Ketkar recalled this incident and thought that Nathuram had planned to kill Gandhiji many months in advance. Ketkar’s speech was widely reported by all major newspapers in the country. There were heated debates in the Parliament and the Maharashtra Assembly. On 25th November 1964, Ketkar, Gopal and the organizer of the event, Ghasias were arrested under the dreaded Public Detention Act. They were kept in jail for over a year with no offence registered against them. They were finally set free on 30th November 1965.

“But even after the establishment of Pakistan if this Gandhian Government had taken any steps to protect the interests of Hindus in Pakistan it could have been possible for me to control my mind which was terribly shaken on account of this terrible deception of the people.”

“Every day that dawned brought forth the news about thousands of Hindus being massacred, hundreds of women torn of their clothes being made naked and taken into procession and those Hindu women were being sold in the market places like cattle. Thousands and thousands of Hindus had to run away for their lives and they had lost everything of theirs. How was this terrible happening counter-acted by the Union Government, by throwing bread to the refugees from the air?” “But, the Government which was under the thumb of Gandhi, resorted to absolutely different ways. If the grievances of the minorities in Pakistan were voiced in the press, it was dubbed as an attempt to spread disaffection amongst the communities and made an offence and the Congress Governments in several Provinces started demanding securities under the Press Emergency Powers Act, one after the other. Thus there was total disappointment in my attempt to bring pressure by peaceful means upon the Congress Governments guided by Gandhian creed.” “When all these happenings were taking place in Pakistan, Gandhiji did not even by a sings word protest and censure the Pakistan Government or the Muslims concerned. The Muslim atrocities resorted to in Pakistan to root out the Hindu culture and the Hindu society have been entirely due to the teachings of Gandhiji and his behaviour. If the Indian politics had been handled in a practical manner there would never have been the terrible human slaughter as has taken place-a thing...

“I am prepared to concede that Gandhiji did undergo sufferings for the sake of the nation. He did bring about an awakening in the minds of the people. He also did nothing for personal gain; but it pains me to say that he was not honest enough to acknowledge the defeat and failure of the principle of nonviolence on all sides. I have read the lives of other intelligent and powerful Indian patriots who have made sacrifices even greater than those done by Gandhiji. I have seen personally some of them. But whatever that may be, I shall bow in respect to the service done by Gandhiji to the country, and to Gandhiji himself for the said service.” “But I do maintain that even this servant of the country had no right to vivisect the country-the image of our worship-by deceiving the people. But he did it all the same. There was no legal machinery by which such an offender could be brought to book and it was therefore that I resorted to the firing of shots at Gandhiji as that was the only thing for me to do.”