MP minister deletes R-Day post targeting Mahatma Gandhi, former PMs after row

Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Minister Mohan Yadav, on Friday, deleted a Facebook post that targeted Mahatma Gandhi and former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, after it created a controversy.

The Congress, while saying the post is another example of pro-Godse (reference to Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse) ideology, demanded that the minister should be sacked and that the party should tender an apology to the people of the nation.

However, after an attack from the Congress and also comments on the post condemning it, Yadav deleted it. Despite attempts, THE WEEK could not contact the minister for his response.

The minister's post in Hindi was in reference to the Republic Day parade in New Delhi. Translated in English, it would read: “There was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in the Republic Day parade. There was no fake father of the nation, no fake uncle, no woman of iron or no inventor of the computer in the parade”. The second sentence was purported to be an indirect reference to Mahatma Gandhi and former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi respectively.

The minister further wrote, “The parade included Kashi Vishwanath tableau, Vaishno Devi tableau and overall scene of sanatan culture. My country is truly changing. It is coming out of the shackles of British servitude. My country is truly attaining freedom.”

Even as a section of users condemned the post, especially the indirect attack on Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress also took it up locally in Ujjain on Thursday and at state level on Friday.

MP Congress media cell vice-president Bhupendra Gupta said, “By making indecent comments on father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi, the first prime minister and Indira ji, who changed the geography of the country, higher education minister Mohan Yadav has given indication of his low education level. The RSS and the BJP are misusing the names of the freedom fighters to wash off the stains of siding with the British during the freedom struggle.”

Gupta also said any expectation of respect for the freedom struggle and its leadership from the people who considered Rs 60 per month pension from British as freedom, those who deposed against revolutionary Bhagat Singh and those who were involved in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination, is in vain. “Such minister who is keeping an eye on the chief minister's chair should be immediately sacked.”

Narendra Saluja, who is media coordinator of MPCC chief Kamal Nath, used a screenshot of the now deleted post to tweet: “The higher education minister of the state, who is responsible to carry forward the thoughts of the father of the nation and the history of the country, is shamelessly calling the father of nation a fake and insulting great personalities. BJP should clarify whether it considers Mahatma Gandhi the father of the nation or a fake father? Is this the thought of BJP for Nehru ji, Indira Ji and Rajiv ji? Congress demands that BJP should immediately remove Mohan Yadav from the post of minister and tender apology to the people of the country.”