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THE LEGACY WAR

Young Bites. Dated: 6/3/2020 11:47:39 AM

OMKAR DATTATRAY O ne fails to understand if the congress is following the legacy of Gandhi but the grand old party has not heeded to Gandhi’s vision and admonition that the congress should be disbanded as the party would claim to be the givers of freedom to the country. But the congress had not accepted this hard fact and goes to claim the congress legacy. What is Gandhi’s legacy? If one has to believe congress president Sonia Gandhi then congress has followed the path shown by Gandhi. According to a speech of Sonia Gandhi, India has Gandhi’s Principles as its foundation. The India which we have seen in the last five years of the NDA rule will shake the Gandhi’s idea of India is the contention of the Congress. One thing should be noted that quoting Gandhi is easy but following Gandhian way of life is very difficult. Simultaneously a debate had been going on in the country that if communists can really be liberals and Gandhians. Gandhiji is rightly considered as the face of Indian civilization at the global level. Gandhi’s idea of dissolving congress was to avoid this legacy claimed creation of a cult. Truth was the guiding force of Gandhi and he believed in reaching the ultimate truth with the help of the relative individual truths which is in tune with the Indian ethos . One can always debate what Gandhi would have done with terrorism and separatism .What is crystal clear that Gandhi would not have accepted misusing his legacy for the dynastic rule. He certainly will have defiled corruption of any sort. Misusing his name and legacy for the accumulating wealth and power would be the last thing the Gandhi would have stood for. It is perplexing and disturbing that the Sonia congress can claim legacy over the Gandhi and nobody else. What kind of Gandhian approach is this? The western concepts of socialism and communism which we are trying to come out from have been used with centralised state power and it is the biggest Nehruvian legacy which we are trying to come out from. Instead of working for the Swaraj and awakening the society for this awakening the congress worked for strengthening the British system of bureaucratic mechanism and false conception of nation in making is the edifice of this fictitious idea of India. Hinduphobia and anathema to civilization-al values are the practices that are nurtured in the name of secularism. There is an unfortunate legacy war going in the country and the congress which is no required at all .Standing with the breaking Bharat forces and speaking for the corrupt dynastic practices are definitely not the elements of the Gandhian legacy. Thus instead of celebrating the 150th birth anniversary as the legacy for the world, the claimant of his legacy are getting into a political war which is the biggest insult to Gandhi. We should rise above party lines and emulate whatever best we can to address the contemporary national issues. Addressing the soul force of people is the only way out to claim legacy of Gandhi. No political party and more so the congress party has any copy right over the Gandhian legacy as none of the political parties have any copy right over the Gandhian way of life. Gandhi and his legacy is of the whole of India and congress is wrong in claiming the Gandhian legacy. Therefore none of the political parties has any patent over the name of Gandhi but the political party of congress uses this legacy to claim being the party which has lead freedom struggle of the country and so claim superiority over all other political parties. Therefore the political parties and the congress party cannot claim to practise the Ghandian legacy and thinking for running the country on the Ghandhian lines. The fact of the matter is that Gandhi belongs to all the people of India and no political party can claim superiority over the name of Gandhi and his philosophy. Had Gandhi been alive today he would not have approved the congresses claim of the Gandhian legacy and this war goes on .We should pick up the good Gandhian practices and use them for addressing of the contemporary of problems of India. No political party has a monopoly on the Gandhain legacy and the congress part as such also has no monopoly over the name and legacy of Gandhi. Thus what is important is that the Gandhian name and legacy belongs to all Indians and the congress cannot claim to be the sole claimants of this legacy. (The writer is a retired education officer and columnist)