The Prime Minister recently launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ movement with the grand photoshoot and media coverage with his brigade of ministers. The campaign for a Swachh Bharat or clean India, which began four years ago, was made into a nationwide movement. Over the next two weeks leading to October 2 – Gandhi Jayanti – the Swachhata Hi Seva movement aims to ensure a high standard of cleanliness across the country, which was Mahatma Gandhi’s dream for the nation. October 2, 2018, will mark the beginning of the 150th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth and the government plans to realise his dream of a clean India. Interacting with the citizens from across the country, Modi urged all Indians to be a part of this mass movement.
There is one famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi — “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” Poor Mahatma, even after so many years of his death could not prevent dirty feet mauling his brains for their political gains. All this while, Gandhiji was abused and accused by BJP and its support group for separating India and Pakistan. BJP and its leaders always addressed Gandhi as separatist and RSS pracharak Nathuram Godse was worshipped by these people for killing Gandhi. All of a sudden, things changed four years ago, and now it’s getting even more dramatic — BJP and its supporters are paying homage to one of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite tenets —’Cleanliness is next to godliness’.
Mahatma Gandhi was the well-known freedom fighter and Congress leader of the Indian nationalism in the British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights, and freedom across the world. The son of a senior government official, Gandhi was born and raised in a Hindu Bania community in coastal Gujarat and trained in law in London. Gandhi became famous by fighting for the civil rights of the Muslim and Hindu Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Returning to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants to protest excessive land taxes. Mahatma was the lifelong opponent of “communalism and a hardcore secular”. He loved everyone equally; rather he was more concerned about the minorities and Dalits of this country. Whereas, BJP is a communal party and they always had a hate agenda for the minorities. This cleanliness drive by the PM Modi gives many indications and exposes the hidden agenda. Such as Modi is known to be a Muslim hater and he is symbolised as an extremist and violent leader after Godhra Killings. Moreover, the RSS organisation is hated by most of the seculars for Gandhi Killing, somewhere even too much hype for Sardar Patel was damaging Modi’s image. Gandhi Jayanti was the day for repairing the entire damaged image of RSS and BJP and also to snatch the national leader from Congress’s Image making.
There are some personalities in every country who have to be respected by all groups like Gandhi. But Gandhi is such a person who is respected and followed all over the globe. So there is nothing wrong if Modi is using his name for good in whatever manner he deems fit. The persona of Gandhi may not be relevant today with the change in human attitude, increasing possessiveness resulting from craving for money and materialistic pleasure and absence of a “true leadership”. Democracy becomes meaningful and continuing only when it is for the people. Gandhi Ji came back to India, relinquishing his lucrative law practice in South Africa, with a single Mission: to win Freedom from the British Colonial rule. Freedom was finally achieved on August 15, 1947, through his astute leadership. A group, who seems to have their own ideas, then killed him! Probably that was the way it has to be — India’s need of a Gandhi is over, although his name is often evoked for something or the other — a sort of gimmick and hypocrisy. Gandhi himself had advocated relinquishing of ministerial “chair” and going to the people at grassroots to develop India — the villages. He had envisioned a system of Governance where the “weight” of the Parliament should not crush more than 6,38,000 villages — each village would be the power centre, where there would be about 1000 souls — the souls of India. But that is forgotten, and a self-centred rule is a practice, on whims and fancies of some individuals.
MK Gandhi’s political ideas may not be the fountainhead for the political masters who have earned the mandate to run the government today, but the ideologies still remain relevant when viewed from the prism of inclusive democracy. Most of the problems in this world are related to our perception. India won independence from Britain to express itself in the community of nations as a beacon of hope for humanity tormented by the World Wars, and violence on an unprecedented scale in the history of mankind. Even Mahatma Gandhi couldn’t shield Indian sub-continent from the vicissitudes of artificiality in the world of politics. While Gandhi treated the colonial masters as trustworthy fellow human beings, they proved to be conmen interested in leaving a gaping wound in the psyche of the sub-continent. Truncated India and the newly formed Pakistan wasted their energies for almost 70 decades, drawn into the whirlpool of tragedy left by the British. Both these nations continue to pump in all their energies to hate one another. The political class in India evolved into a replica of the erstwhile collaborators.
To conclude, let me sum up stating that political or non-political, Modi had launched a noble venture; clean India is a need of today and also due respect to all those national leaders who got us independence is also necessary, combining both was an applaudable initiative, irrespective of the intent.
Let us all keep this Gandhi-visioned India Clean and green. Because he had always said where cleanliness exists, Godliness resides. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on fulfilling his dreams and is taking all efforts to do it. We should continue to support him and make this campaign successful.
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