World knew about Gandhi from movie, says Modi; Congress reacts sharply

In an interview with a news channel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (May 28) said the world did not know about Mahatma Gandhi until Richard Attenborough's 1982 movie 'Gandhi' was made, drawing sharp reactions from many quarters.

"Mahatma Gandhi was a great soul in the world. In these 75 years, was it not our responsibility to inform the world about Mahatma Gandhi? No one knew about him. Forgive me, but the first time there was curiosity about him in the world was when the film 'Gandhi' was made. We did not do it," PM Modi said during the course of the interview. “If the world knew Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi was no less than them and you have to accept that. I am saying this after travelling the world,” the prime minister added.

The Congress slammed Modi for his remarks, saying "those whose ideological ancestors were involved in his assassination can never follow the path of truth shown by the 'Mahatma".

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge came down heavily on the prime minister for his remarks and said "it is time for the lie to pack its bags and go".

"Those whose ideological ancestors along with Nathuram Godse were involved in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, can never follow the path of truth given by Bapu. Now the lie is about to pack its bags and go," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.

Modi has destroyed Gandhi’s legacy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also took a swipe at the prime minister, saying, "Only the student of 'Entire Political Science' would need to watch the film to know about Mahatma Gandhi."

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "I don't know in which world the outgoing Prime Minister lives where Mahatma Gandhi was not recognized across the world before 1982. If anyone has destroyed the legacy of the Mahatma, it is the outgoing Prime Minister himself. His own government has destroyed Gandhian institutions in Varanasi, Delhi and Ahmedabad."

This is the identity of the RSS workers that they do not know the nationalism of Mahatma Gandhi. It is due to the environment created by their ideology that Nathuram Godse killed Gandhi, Ramesh said in a post on X.

"The 2024 election has taken place between Mahatma bhakts and Godse bhakts. The defeat of the outgoing Prime Minister and his Godse bhakt companions is obvious," Ramesh said.

It’s an insult to Bapu

Congress general secretary, organisation, KC Venugopal said Mahatma Gandhi is the greatest icon of modern history in the world. Even before Independence, he was a phenomenon that every colonised country admired and looked to for inspiration, he noted.

"Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, who Modi referred to in his ludicrous statement, were inspired by Gandhi himself. To think that a movie was required to popularise India's greatest thought leader since the Buddha is not only ignorant, but also an insult to Bapu.

"It comes as no surprise that someone whose ideological forefathers were complicit in Gandhi's assassination is so ill-informed about his global impact. The Entire Political Science graduate has once again shown why nobody takes him seriously anymore," Venugopal said in a post on X.

P Chidambaram expresses shock

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram also said in a post that he was appalled by the prime minister's comment that "the world did not know about Mahatma Gandhi until Richard Attenborough made the film Gandhi".

"Has Mr Modi heard of the name Albert Einstein? Does Mr Modi know what Albert Einstein said of Mahatma Gandhi? Did Albert Einstein (died 1955) know about Mahatma Gandhi only after the film 'Gandhi' was released (1982)," he asked.

(With agency inputs)