With the bust of statesman C Rajagopalachari replacing that of English architect Edwin Lutyens in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, an old icon is being recast in a new political form. Rajagopalachari, one of Mohandas Gandhi’s closest confidantes, was independent India’s first governor-general and chief minister of the Madras State. In his twilight years, he challenged the Congress by forming the Swatantra Party – at one point it was the single-largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.
By appropriating Rajagopalachari, a prominent leader in the Independence struggle and early years of the Republic, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is once again attempting to force-fit a historical figure into its own ideological mould.
President Draupudi Murmi, in her speech at the installation of the bust, said that the event was a sign of “mental decolonisation”. But BJP’s vision of decolonisation has long been clear: it aims to delegitimise the freedom struggle led by the Congress while positioning Hindutva politics as “true decolonisation”.
Freedom fighter, thinker, intellectual, statesman…these are some descriptions that come to the mind when one recalls Shri C. Rajagopalachari. Tributes to him on his birth anniversary. He remains one of the sharpest minds of the 20th century, who believed in creating value and… pic.twitter.com/VcE4jt5MD9
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi)...
from Scroll.in https://scroll.in/article/1091209/c-rajagopalachari-is-not-the-hindutva-icon-the-bjp-imagines-him-to-be?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=public https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/article/212330-udisjkmyqx-1772814504.jpeg
via
0 Comments