Congress disrupts Godse play in Bombay
Syed Firdaus Ashraf in Bombay
Friday's performance of the controversial drama Mi Nathuram Godse Boltoy (I am Nathuram Godse speaking) was cancelled after a protest march by Congress activists turned unruly and violent.
The drama, which was scheduled to be staged at 1530 hours at the Shivaji Mandir theatre, in central Bombay, was cancelled following a police lathicharge on a mob of 200-odd Congress activists who were demanding a ban on the play.
The activists arrived at the theatre around an hour before the performance and started shouting slogans against Nathuram Godse and the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena government in the state.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary Kripa Shankar Singh told Rediff On The NeT, "No way will we allow this show to continue as it gives importance to the killer of Mahatma Gandhi."
The entire operation seemed well-planned, as fresh batches of Congress activists kept replacing the ones that were being taken away in police vans.
The first batch of Congressmen arrived with placards saying 'Joshi-Munde Ki Pehchan, Nathuram Godse inki Pehchan', 'Bandh Karo bandh karo, Nathuram natak bandh karo' and 'Mahatma Gandhi ki Jai.'
Probably for the first time, Congress activists dared to burn copies of the Shiv Sena daily Saamna and openly shouted slogans against Sena chief Bal Thackeray a few hundred metres from Sena Bhavan, the Sena headquarters.
The first batch of activists broke the police cordon and tried to push their way into the hall. Though the police were able to control the mob, one of them managed to grab the 'houseful' board and fling it at the crowd, smashing it. Before things could get out of hand, however, the police bundled all the activists away.
Just as the situation seemed to be under control, and normal traffic resumed after being held up for 45 minutes, another group of 80 Congress activists led by Bombay Regional Congress Committee general secretary Virendra Bakshi landed at the venue and successfully prevented the audience from entering the theatre.
This time things spinned out of control and the two sides clashed openly, leaving the police with no choice but to launch into a lathicharge. A passer-by summed up the situation thus: "I am sure had Gandhiji been alive today he would have been disappointed at this sight."
Interestingly, among the protesters were members of the Shiv Sena Gujarati Vibhag who held placards opposing the show. However, they made it clear that they had nothing against the state government. "We are only against this play which denigrates the Father of the Nation," one activist said.
The play has been staged 80 times in Gujarati, and not attracted any adverse reaction.
"Where was the Congress then?" asked a frustrated play-goer, waiting patiently in line and watching the mob reaction. "They have woken up only now."
"It is a good play," said Vaijanath Khandekar, who has seen the play not once but twice. "I think it should run, because it presents the other side. If we call India a democratic nation, we should allow such views to be expressed. I also feel the play does not defile Gandhi in any way."
The audiences who had assembled too were openly disappointed, and many of them felt that they have missed the last opportunity to see the play since a ban was imminent.
Said Ajit D Kamat, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker who was among the audience, "The country has a right to know what Nathuram Godse had to say. After all, everybody knows what Gandhiji did was wrong by paying Pakistan Rs 550 million, isn't it?"
The same view was held by V S Raul, a 55-year-old school teacher. "I have heard there are no abuses against Gandhiji in this play. So there is no harm in showing the play. After all, we must know Nathuram's viewpoint also."
Later on, when Maharashtra Cultural Affairs Minister Pramod Navalkar, who has reportedly been asked by Chief Minister Manohar Joshi to view the play, arrived on the scene, the Sainiks went on the offensive, shouting slogans in favour of their party. Interestingly, Navalkar had to enter the theatre through the backdoor, since the situation near the front gate looked out of control. The generally outspoken Navalkar kept mum about the situation and refused to talk to the press.
He, along with Sena leader Bal Nandgaonkar, had an hour-long meeting with producer Uday Dhurat and director Vinay Apte inside the theatre. Navalkar will take a decision only after hearing from Joshi who has been advised by the Centre to ban the show.
Joshi has convened an urgent cabinet meeting on Saturday to decide the fate of the play.
The chief minister is expected to
meet Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray tonight to discuss the Centre's
advice to the state government to ban the
play.
Joshi said the state government will take a
decision by tomorrow on the Centre's advice.
Earlier in the day, Home Minister L K Advani told the Lok Sabha that the
Centre has advised the Maharashtra government to ban the play.
Advani said he had conveyed
the Centre's view in this regard to Joshi when he called on him yesterday. The home minister
expressed confidence that the Centre's advice would be implemented
by the state government forthwith.
He made it clear that his government strongly
disapproved of any action that denigrated the Mahatma's memory and belittled the unique role he played in leading the nation
to freedom from colonial rule.
Several Opposition members also demanded the disbanding of the
Scrutiny Board, an autonomous body in Maharashtra which cleared the staging of the play
and a countrywide ban on the play.
Advani said as soon as the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha,
the Union home secretary got in touch with the chief secretary of
Maharashtra. The state government had stated that the play in
question was cleared for performance by the Maharashtra Stage
Performance Scrutiny Board, an autonomous body of the state
government, he said.
The home minister said the central government has advised the
state government to prohibit its performance keeping in view the
play's reported intent.
In the Rajya Sabha, an agitated chairman Krishan Kant today
adjourned the Rajya Sabha till 1400 hours after an offending remark
against the chair by Congress member H R Bharadwaj while the House
was witnessing a heated debate on the play.
Soon after Question Hour, the issue was raised by
Pranab Mukherjee (Congress).
Thereafter Congress members raised a storm in the House, objecting
to the views being expressed on the issue by Sena member Sanjay
Nirupam.
However, the chairman was of the view that Nirupam, who has
given a notice to speak on the matter, should be allowed to have his
say. But the Congress members were unrelenting and did not pay
heed to Krishan Kant's suggestion.
Amid the din, Bhardwaj got up and and told the chair, ''Kya ho
gaya hai aap ko....Aapke pita bhi Gandhian the" (what has happened to
you...Your father too was a Gandhian).''
The chairman lost his temper over Bhardwaj's remark and said
he was adjourning the House sine die. However, it was later
clarified that the House had been adjourned till 1400 hours.
Earlier, Mukherjee said the play had been agitating the minds
of the people at large, and that there should be a limitation on
freedom of expression. Posterity would not forgive this generation
if the vilification of Mahatma Gandhi and glorification of his assassin
was allowed.
He regretted that the play was being staged at a time when the
nation was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Independence.
Mukherjee said the issue had already been raised in the House
earlier this week, and the home minister had promised that he would
come out with the full facts. He wanted to know what steps the
government proposed to take so that such things did not recur.
Later, the chairman allowed Nirupam to speak. However, some
Congress members like John Fernandes, Jitendra Prasada,
Saroj Khaparde and Ahmed Patel said there was no point in
debating the issue further and the government should come out with a statement.
Nirupam said the vilification of Gandhi was
condemnable, and history would not pardon the person who assassinated him.
However, he said there was freedom of expression in the country
and this was amply demonstrated in 1993-94, when the then Chief
Justice of India Y V Chandrachud lifted the ban on a book on
Nathuram Godse by his brother Gopal Godse.
This provoked the Congress members to again ask the chair not to
allow the Sena member to speak. They were joined by members
like Mohammed Azam Khan (Samajwadi Party), Naresh Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal) and others.
Khan said Mahatma Gandhi and Nathuram Godse had been
brought on par by the Sena member.
The chairman, however, ignored the Congress members' demand, saying
he had the duty to protect the rights of every member.
Amid shouting by Congress members, Nirupam said he
was not being allowed to have his say. ''They take Mahatma Gandhi's
name, but they are the biggest fascists...They are not allowing me to
speak,'' the Sena member said, looking towards the Congress benches.
Just when Krishan Kant asked the leader of the House and Industry
Minister, Sikandar Bakht, if he could reply to the members' concern
on the issue, Bhardwaj got up and made the remark, annoying the
chair.
Additional reportage: UNI
EARLIER REPORTS:
Opposition calls for ban on play glorifying Godse
Play on Godse's point of view draws cheers in Bombay
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