A group of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists allegedly illegally detained Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, near Neyyattinkara, in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday evening, causing public outcry and politically non-partisan protests from both the ruling front and the Opposition.
The protesters were reportedly irked by Mr. Gandhi, who was in Kerala at the invitation of the Sivagiri Madhom, terming the RSS a cancer on the nation’s soul in a speech commemorating the 100th anniversary of Sree Narayana Guru’s historic meeting with Mahatma Gandhi at the Madhom.
Mr. Gandhi was later in Neyyattinkara to unveil the statue of late Gandhian P. Gopinathan Nair at the latter’s ancestral home.
After the function, the RSS activists besieged Mr. Gandhi when he entered the vehicle. The protesters gheraoed Mr. Gandhi and demanded that he retract his speech condemning the RSS at the Sivagiri Madhom.
No police presence
Mr. Gandhi stepped out of the vehicle, confronted the protesters, and was seemingly unrepentant. He shouted, “RSS murdabad and Gandhiji zindabad” back at the RSS activists. There was no noticeable police presence at the scene. Mr. Gandhi left the area after clarifying his political stance. When contacted, the Neyyattinkara police stated they had received no reports regarding the incident.
When contacted, the Sivagiri Madhom said it would react to the development on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan condemned the RSS’s action. He said Mr. Gandhi had arrived in Kerala to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s historic meeting with Sree Narayana Guru at the Madhom. “The RSS has put Kerala to shame and revealed their true colours as a revanchist force,” he said.
CPI’s stand
Communist Party of India (CPI) State secretary Binoy Viswam said the RSS’s contempt for Mahatma Gandhi and the Independence Movement and the organisation’s support for the feudal colonial set-up was evident in their act against Mr. Gandhi. “The RSS were betrayers of the Independence Movement. It has no stake in the country’s freedom movement and progress as a democracy. The RSS has lionised Gandhi’s killer, Godse, and the latter’s sponsors, including Savarkar. Kerala should stand as one against this fascist travesty,” he said.
Former Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president V.M. Sudheeran said the RSS’s contempt for progressive Kerala, including the Sivagiri Madhom and Sree Narayana Guru’s renaissance message, was evident in their spite for Mr. Gandhi.
Published – March 12, 2025 11:51 pm IST
