Gandhi Jayanti 2019: Remembering Mahatma Gandhi, The Political Icon Revered Across Party Lines
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was instrumental in India's freedom struggle against British rule. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the few political figures who is respected, invoked and celebrated across party lines.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was instrumental in India's freedom struggle against British rule. In India, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 every year. This year, India is celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary. Mahatma Gandhi is one of the few political figures who is respected, invoked and celebrated across party lines. Gandhi Jayanti 2019 Speeches Video And Audio: Remembering 5 Addresses by Mahatma Gandhi on God, Non-Violence And Hindu-Muslim Unity to Observe His 150th Birth Anniversary.
The two major political outfits - the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - fight to appropriate the legacy of the Mahatma Gandhi even today. Congress and its top leadership which includes Rahul Gandhi leave no opportunity to tell people that the BJP follows the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh which quite opposite to that of Mahatma Gandhi’s, and "which ultimately led to his killing". Here it may be noted that Gandhi was a member of the Congress party for over a decade. Gandhi Jayanti 2019 Messages in Hindi: WhatsApp Stickers, Facebook Greetings, GIF Images, SMS, Quotes and Wishes to Send on Mahatama Gandhi's 150th Birth Anniversary.
Mahatma Gandhi took leadership of the Congress in 1920 and kept representing the party during talks with the British till he resigned in 1934. Congress always tries to portray itself as a true political heir of Gandhi's legacy. For the BJP, Mahatma Gandhi and his views do contradict with that of its ideological backbone RSS. However, the saffron party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi do not hesitate to invoke Gandhi and claim to be a true follower of his principles.
Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's emphasis on cleanliness, PM Narendra Modi launched one of the BJP-led NDA’s biggest schemes, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, on Gandhi Jayanti, in 2014. The government's plan to promote Khadi products does have a touch of Gandhi. Not to mention, PM Modi's popular speech in Parliament where that a Congress-mukt Bharat was in fact, Gandhiji’s vision.
Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee also appears to be inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Mamata Banerjee's reputation as a street fighter is a modern version of Gandhi's iconic satyagraha. In 2006, she made headlines when she broke Gandhiji’s record of a 21 day-long fast by holding 25-day long hunger strike against the-then ruling party in West Bengal, the CPI (M).
Mahatma Gandhi, a Gujarati, has admirers in south India as well. For Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Haasan, Gandhi is a "superstar". Kamal Haasan, who directed and played the protagonist in the film Hey Ram, based on Mahatma Gandhi, has said that he has been repeatedly reading about Gandhi and his life.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 02, 2019 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).