Interview Gopal Godse, co-conspirator in Gandhi's assassination and brother of the assassin, looks back in anger--and without regret FEBRUARY 14, 2000

Sacrificer           unknown
Sacrifice code       wfor0357
Sacrifice date       FEBRUARY 14, 2000

Interview Gopal Godse, co-conspirator in Gandhi's assassination and brother of the
assassin, looks back in anger--and without regret

Namaste,
This interview took place a few years ago but still lends serious light on the reasons why Nathuram Godse took part in the assasination of Mahatma Gandhi. When Gandhi was first assasinated, the media immediately placed blame on the RSS, since Godse had been a member years earlier. However, he had also been a member or supporter of the Congress party, which the media easily overlooked.
However, in this interview with Gopal Godse, Nathuram's brother, we find insights as to why it actually took place, at least in the minds of the Godse brothers. It is interesting and provides additional light on what many have come to understand as some of the misleading aspects of Gandhi's motivations.



TIME (FEBRUARY 14, 2000 VOL. 155 NO. 6)

W E B - O N L Y I N T E R V I E W
"His Principle of Peace Was Bogus"

Gopal Godse, co-conspirator in Gandhi's assassination and brother of the
assassin, looks back in anger--and without regret

Fifty-two years ago, on Jan. 30, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi was shot dead by
Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist. Godse believed that the Mahatma, or great
soul, was responsible for the 1947 partition of India and the creation of
Pakistan. Godse and his friend Narayan Apte were hanged. His brother Gopal
and two others were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the
conspiracy. Gopal Godse remained in jail for 18 years and now, at 80, lives
with his wife in a small apartment in Pune. He is still proud of his role in
the murder. Although Godse is largely ignored in India and rarely talks to
journalists, he agreed to speak with TIME Delhi correspondent Meenakshi
Ganguly.

TIME: What happened in January 1948?
Godse: On Jan. 20, Madanlal Pahwa exploded a bomb at Gandhi's prayer meeting
in Delhi. It was 50 m away from Gandhi. [The other conspirators] all ran
away from the place. Madanlal was caught there. Then there was a tension in
our minds that we had to finish the task before the police caught us. Then
Nathuram [Gopal's brother] took it on himself to do the thing. We only
wanted destiny to help us -- meaning we should not be caught on the spot
before he acted.

TIME: Why did you want to kill Gandhi?
Godse: Gandhi was a hypocrite. Even after the massacre of the Hindus by the
Muslims, he was happy. The more the massacres of the Hindus, the taller his
flag of secularism.

TIME: Did you ever see Gandhi?
Godse: Yes.

TIME: Did you attend his meetings?
Godse: Yes.

TIME: Can you explain how he created his mass following?
Godse: The credit goes to him for maneuvering the media. He captured the
press. That was essential. How Gandhi walked, when he smiled, how he waved
-- all these minor details that the people did not require were imposed upon
them to create an atmosphere around Gandhi. And the more ignorant the
masses, the more popular was Gandhi. So they always tried to keep the masses
ignorant.

TIME: But surely it takes more than good publicity to create a Gandhi?
Godse: There is another thing. Generally in the Indian masses, people are
attracted toward saintism. Gandhi was shrewd to use his saintdom for
politics. After his death the government used him. The government knew that
he was an enemy of Hindus, but they wanted to show that he was a staunch
Hindu. So the first act they did was to put "Hey Ram" into Gandhi's dead
mouth.

TIME: You mean that he did not say "Hey Ram" as he died?
Godse: No, he did not say it. You see, it was an automatic pistol. It had a
magazine for nine bullets but there were actually seven at that time. And
once you pull the trigger, within a second, all the seven bullets had
passed. When these bullets pass through crucial points like the heart,
consciousness is finished. You have no strength.

When Nathuram saw Gandhi was coming, he took out the pistol and folded his
hands with the pistol inside it. There was one girl very close to Gandhi. He
feared that he would hurt the girl. So he went forward and with his left
hand pushed her aside and shot. It happened within one second. You see,
there was a film and some Kingsley fellow had acted as Gandhi. Someone asked
me whether Gandhi said, "Hey Ram." I said Kingsley did say it. But Gandhi
did not. Because that was not a drama.

TIME: Many people think Gandhi deserved to be nominated TIME's Person of the
Century. [He was one of two runners-up, after Albert Einstein.]
Godse: I name him the most cruel person for Hindus in India. The most cruel
person! That is how I term him.

TIME: Is that why Gandhi had to die?
Godse: Yes. For months he was advising Hindus that they must never be angry
with the Muslims. What sort of ahimsa (non-violence) is this? His principle
of peace was bogus. In any free country, a person like him would be shot
dead officially because he was encouraging the Muslims to kill Hindus.

TIME: But his philosophy was of turning the other cheek. He felt one person
had to stop the cycle of violence...
Godse: The world does not work that way.

TIME: Is there anything that you admire about Gandhi?
Godse: Firstly, the mass awakening that Gandhi did. In our school days
Gandhi was our idol. Secondly, he removed the fear of prison. He said it is
different to go into prison for a theft and different to go in for
satyagraha (civil disobedience). As youngsters, we had our enthusiasm, but
we needed some channel. We took Gandhi to be our channel. We don't repent
for that.

TIME: Did you not admire his principles of non-violence?
Godse: Non-violence is not a principle at all. He did not follow it. In
politics you cannot follow non-violence. You cannot follow honesty. Every
moment, you have to give a lie. Every moment you have to take a bullet in
hand and kill someone. Why was he proved to be a hypocrite? Because he was
in politics with his so-called principles. Is his non-violence followed
anywhere? Not in the least. Nowhere.

TIME: What was the most difficult thing about killing Gandhi?
Godse: The greatest hurdle before us was not that of giving up our lives or
going to the gallows. It was that we would be condemned both by the
government and by the public. Because the public had been kept in the dark
about what harm Gandhi had done to the nation. How he had fooled them!

TIME: Did the people condemn you?
Godse: Yes. People in general did. Because they had been kept ignorant.

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