PS Sreedharan Pillai, the Governor of Goa, has called Gandhi-killer Nathuram Godse the curse of India.
Pillai, who was a two-time president of the BJP in Kerala, made the statement during the release of a revised version of 'Gandhi vs Godse' authored by Veliyam Rajeev, in Kollam on Sunday.
In an hour-long speech, the Governor extolled the virtues of Gandhian philosophy and rarely mentioned Godse, the Hindu fanatic, who on January 30, 1948, assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. Godse was a member of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the Hindu Mahasabha.
“Godse should not have done that. Whatever the reason,” Governor Pillai said during his speech.
It was while wrapping up that Pillai damned Godse. “I bow before the memory of Gandhiji. Till the world exists, Gandhiji's ideology will light the path of humanity.
I would also like to add that Godse will exist as a curse of this land,” said Pillai.
The remark is in stark contrast to those made by some other BJP leaders, notably Pragya Thakur. The terror-accused Member of Parliament of the BJP had hailed Godse as a 'deshbhakt' (patriot) during a debate in the Loka Sabha in 2019.
Pillai, meanwhile, stated that the RSS was not to be blamed for Gandhi's assassination. He invoked the Kapur Commission to state his case. The Commission was set up in 1966 to lead an inquiry into the conspiracy behind Gandhi's murder.
“Then Prime Minister Morarji Desai tabled the Kapur Commission report in the Parliament. The report said RSS had no role in it (Gandhi's murder). But what hurts me the most is that in our democratic country, not a single copy of the report exists. The truth was buried.”