Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by those who never accepted the Constitution: Teesta Setalvad

Teesta Setalvad emphasizes the importance of secular values and equal citizenship in Indian politics post-Gandhi's assassination.

Civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad said here on Wednesday that the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi was the first act of extremism in independent India as it was done by those sections that never accepted the Constitution and the ‘Tiranga’ (tricolour).

“They did not accept equal citizenship as they believed that we should return the crude version of Manusmriti raj [rule], and they still believe it,” she said in her inaugural speech at the discussion on ‘Spirituality in Gandhian Politics’ held as part of the week-long celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi assuming office as Congress president 100 years ago, organised by the Sabarmati Study and Research Centre of the District Congress Committee.

“Hindutva is not Hinduism as Gandhiji said and stood for. He died by the bullets of Hindutva. Let’s never forget that. It was definitely a conspiracy,” she said.

She urged the Indian National Congress to “unashamedly stand for core secular values, equal citizenship dignity for all, and the directive principles of state policy.”

“The ‘Nyay Patra’ manifesto of the Congress for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has to be implemented in Congress-ruled States. The huge mistake that the Congress made in a State like Gujarat was not standing with the core principles of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, and Ambedkar, but by trying to ape a militarised version of religious politics. Nyay Patra suggested that there may be a rethink. Post the Lok Sabha polls, we welcomed the words of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, but we wish the cadres of the Congress also echo the core principles of the manifesto and make a return to the core ideology,” she said.

Ms. Setalvad added that the time had come to expand “our narrow vision of what politics is, be it the Congress or the Marxist and learn from each other’s practices and have permanent alliances because if there is one party that should be marginalised in the country is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the Bharatiya Janata Party. All other parties need to understand and give each other spaces to exist and have a deep respect for federalism and multi-party democracy,” she said.