Gandhi’s questionable past

Gandhi's  whiter than white dhoti and wrap, presented as symbol of purity, cannot hide the dark and immoral side of his life.
If that was not bad enough, Gandhi also put aside all  principles of democracy and appointed Nehru as the first Prime Minister of Independent  India in 1947, even though Sardar Patel had won the votes for the great  office by a  very large  majority. Gandhi, infatuated by Nehru's charm, turned the dishonest exercise  into a coronation.
It is also a myth that Gandhi 'created' the civil-disobedience and non-violence movements in India to fight the British.  In fact  they were already  started by  Gokhle, Tilak and Lajpat Rai, honourable leaders who have been shamefully and ungratefully erased from memory and  from the history of  the  campaign for Indian independence.
For all intents and purpose,  the history of India's  struggle for freedom  begins and ends with the life and work of just one man - Gandhi. His disciples can sweep all his unconventional behaviour under the carpet but they will never be able to change the facts about what he did in his private life as well as in politics.
It  is a sad day for women, for democracy and for India  that there will be  yet another Gandhi statue,  in spite  of his  questionable past.
Kusoom Vadgama
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