Mumbai In what may lead to a fresh controversy, advocate Gunaratna Sadavarte claimed that Mahatma Gandhi had not uttered the name of Lord Rama when he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse on January 30, 1948. Sadavarte also made a reverential reference to Godse, the man widely derided for killing Gandhi.
Sadavarte was arrested in April for allegedly instigating employees of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to riot outside Silver Oak, the Mumbai residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and released on bail later. The controversial lawyer was claiming to represent the MSRTC workers who were on strike since November 2021.
“Gandhivad has always cheated the country and this state of Maharashtra,” charged Sadavarte in a press conference on Monday.
“We have seen how something that has not happened was cleverly claimed to have taken place by Gandhian politicians,” he claimed. “While taking his last breath, Gandhiji, as you may have heard everywhere, is said to have uttered Hey Ram. This history is taught even today. But when Nathuramji Godse was tried, and when his book on his trial was published, then it came to light that Nathuramji Godse said that he had never said Hey Ram. This fact was always suppressed,” he added.
Sadavarte attacked ‘Gandhiwadache Rajkaran’ or Gandhian politics and said that the Congress or the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had used workers for their selfish ends. He also attacked Pawar in his speech.
Sadavarte also announced the launch of his new organisation—S.T. Kashtakari Janasangh amidst chants of ‘Vande Mataram’, ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai.’ This organisation will contest the elections to the MSRTC Co-operative Bank, which has the corporation’s employees as its shareholders.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said that Sadavarte was close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar and questioned if the BJP agreed with the glorification of Godse.