Mahatma Gandhi's assassination on January 30, 1948, was not merely a tragic end to the life of India's most revered freedom fighter—it marked a deeply complex moment in Indian history that reflected the tension between Gandhi's political vision and the growing disillusionment among certain nationalist factions. The assassin, Nathuram Godse, a former member of the Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), justified his act in a historic courtroom statement that offered a harsh critique of Gandhi's policies, especially about Hindu-Muslim unity.
This article delves into that justification, drawing from the powerful and controversial document titled Gandhiji's Politics X-Rayed, which presents Godse's full statement during his trial. The text contains an exhaustive critique of Gandhi's political decisions, listing several incidents, campaigns, and ideological choices that, in Godse's view, harmed India's unity, sovereignty, and Hindu identity.
A Clash of Ideologies: The Context Behind the Assassination
Nathuram Godse's decision to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi was the culmination of a deep ideological conflict. According to Godse, Gandhi had established himself as an infallible political and spiritual figure who wielded disproportionate influence over the Congress and the Indian nationalist movement. Over time, this influence, combined with Gandhi's unwavering pursuit of Hindu-Muslim unity, became in Godse's view a liability for India.
Godse wrote that Gandhi's final fast in support of the payment of ₹55 crore to Pakistan, just after the Partition riots, was the final provocation. It convinced him that Gandhi's existence was, in his words, "a danger to India's future."
Godse's Detailed Critique of Gandhi's Political Career
Godse's courtroom speech provides a point-by-point breakdown of what he considered to be Gandhi's political misjudgments over the course of 33 years. These were organized into thematic categories, many of which are outlined below.
a) The Khilafat Movement
Godse criticized Gandhi's decision to support the Khilafat Movement, which aimed to restore the Ottoman Caliphate. Gandhi believed this would foster Hindu-Muslim unity, but according to Godse, it instead introduced religious sectarianism into Indian politics. The movement failed, and communal violence ensued—Hindus were often the victims.
b) The Moplah Rebellion
The Moplah Rebellion in Malabar saw violent uprisings by Muslims against Hindus, involving forced conversions and atrocities. Godse condemned Gandhi for not speaking out against the violence and instead starting a relief fund for the aggressors rather than their victims.
c) The Afghan Amir Intrigue
Godse accused Gandhi of indirectly supporting the Ali brothers when they invited the Amir of Afghanistan to invade India. Gandhi allegedly wrote that if the Amir invaded, he would not help the British repel him—an example Godse used to illustrate Gandhi's misplaced loyalty to Muslim leaders.
d) Attacks on the Arya Samaj and Swami Shraddhanand
Gandhi's public criticism of the Arya Samaj, an organization known for Hindu reform and social upliftment, was seen by Godse as unjust. This, he claimed, contributed to the environment that led to the assassination of Swami Shraddhanand by a Muslim youth.
e) Separation of Sind
Gandhi supported the separation of Sind from the Bombay Presidency, a move Godse said empowered communal forces and led to widespread anti-Hindu riots in cities like Karachi and Sukkur.
f) Muslim League's Exit from Congress
Godse accused Gandhi of continuing to appease the Muslim League even after they distanced themselves from the Congress. Gandhi, he claimed, persisted in seeking unity with a community that had already moved towards separatism.
g) The Round Table Conference and the Communal Award
Gandhi's participation in the Second Round Table Conference and his subsequent tacit acceptance of the Communal Award, which institutionalized separate electorates for Muslims, was seen as disastrous by Godse. It gave official sanction to communalism, deepening the Hindu-Muslim divide.
h) Acceptance of Office and the 1939 Resignations
Godse criticized the Congress for first refusing office under the Government of India Act, then accepting it while excluding the Muslim League. When the ministries resigned in 1939, the British installed League-favoring governors, further exacerbating communal divisions.
i) The League's Advantage During WWII
The Muslim League, remaining passive during World War II, was rewarded with political concessions by the British. Godse saw Gandhi's inaction in this period as a failure of leadership that strengthened separatist forces.
j) Cripps Mission and the Seed of Partition
Godse condemned Gandhi's handling of the Cripps Mission, suggesting that even though it was a failure, the Congress's internal contradictions opened the door to eventual Partition.
k) The 'Quit India' Movement vs. 'Divide and Quit'
According to Godse, the 1942 Quit India Movement was a haphazard and desperate rebellion. It was crushed swiftly. Meanwhile, Jinnah and the Muslim League used the opportunity to demand Partition under the slogan "Divide and Quit."
l) The Hindustani Language Controversy
Godse accused Gandhi of pushing the artificial and linguistically ambiguous “Hindustani” language over Hindi, purely to appease Muslim sentiments, even though Hindi was spoken by the majority of Indians.
m) Suppression of Vande Mataram
When some Muslims objected to the song "Vande Mataram", Gandhi reportedly supported its suppression, a move Godse saw as an insult to national pride and cultural identity.
n) Ban on Shiva Bhavani
Godse criticized Gandhi for opposing the recitation of "Shiva Bhavani", a hymn that praised Shivaji for saving Hindu dharma. Gandhi believed it could offend Muslims.
o) Suhrawardy and the Calcutta Killings
Godse harshly condemned Gandhi's association with H.S. Suhrawardy, under whose governance the Great Calcutta Killings of 1946 took place. Gandhi, instead of condemning Suhrawardy, called him a “martyr.”
p) Partiality Toward Muslim Princes
While Gandhi criticized Hindu rulers like those of Jaipur and Rajkot, Godse claimed he never took a similar stand against Muslim rulers, even when they acted unjustly.
q) Secret Talks on Pakistan
Godse alleged that while fasting in 1943, Gandhi secretly discussed conceding Pakistan with C. Rajagopalachari, who later negotiated with Jinnah. Gandhi's diplomacy, Godse felt, betrayed Indian unity.
r) The Desai Liaquat Pact
This agreement gave the Muslim League equal representation with the Congress in political talks, despite them representing only a quarter of the population. Godse saw this as undemocratic and a blow to nationalism.
s) Cabinet Mission Plan
The Congress accepted the Cabinet Mission Plan, which, according to Godse, laid the groundwork for Pakistan through backdoor provisions. He condemned this as another surrender to Muslim separatism.
t) Final Surrender and the Creation of Pakistan
Godse declared that the Congress "surrendered to Jinnah at the point of a bayonet" when they accepted the creation of Pakistan. He accused Gandhi of not showing compassion for displaced Hindus, focusing only on Muslim suffering.
u) Gandhiji's Ambiguous Statement on Pakistan
Gandhi once stated that if Muslims wanted Pakistan, nothing could stop them. Godse interpreted this as either a passive acceptance or active encouragement of Partition.
v) Kashmir Advice
Gandhi suggested the Hindu Maharaja of Kashmir step aside for Sheikh Abdullah, a Muslim leader. Godse contrasted this with Gandhi's silence on Hyderabad, where a Muslim Nizam ruled over a Hindu majority.
w) Role of Mountbatten in the Partition
Godse described Lord Mountbatten as the executor of India's "vivisection." He accused Gandhi and Nehru of celebrating a false “freedom” bought at the price of Hindu suffering and national dismemberment.
x) Cow Slaughter and National Identity
Despite voicing support for cow protection, Gandhi declined to endorse a national law banning cow slaughter, saying India did not belong to Hindus alone. Godse saw this as hypocrisy.
y) Removal of the Tricolour Flag in Noakhali
Godse claimed that Gandhi had the national flag removed from his hut in Noakhali after a Muslim objected to it—an act Godse viewed as symbolic of Gandhi's repeated capitulation.
Conclusion: A Tragic Intersection of Conviction and Conflict
Whether one views Nathuram Godse as a misguided extremist or a radical nationalist, his statement presents a thorough, systematic critique of Gandhi's ideology from a specific ideological lens. The speech lays bare the ideological conflict between Gandhian nonviolence and the militant Hindu nationalism that Godse represented.
The assassination was not just the act of an individual—it was the violent climax of ideological friction that had been building for decades. For historical understanding, it is essential to examine both Gandhi's ideals and the criticisms they provoked.