Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 2: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Friday said remembering Mahatma Gandhi is more important than ever, while criticising what he described as the tendency to reduce national icons to ceremonial tributes and photo opportunities.
In a post on X on Gandhi Jayanti, Thackeray said remembrance of great personalities was often restricted to their birth and death anniversaries, with people garlanding statues and posing for photographs.
“Our remembrance of great figures is often limited to their birth and death anniversaries - garlanding statues and taking photographs. Equating memorials solely with statues and posing next to them has become our new form of paying tribute,” he said.
Thackeray also raised concerns over what he described as growing intolerance towards dissent and said Gandhi’s legacy included empowering citizens to question those in authority.
“The moment questions are raised, those in power and their army of online trolls are eager to brand you an 'anti-national',” he said, referring to concerns over peaceful demonstrations, the use of force against protesters and the functioning of constitutional institutions such as the Election Commission.
Thackeray said Gandhi’s greatest contribution was not limited to securing political freedom but also establishing the common citizen’s right to oppose state overreach.
“The government possesses the law, the brute force of power, and the ability to alter laws to suit its convenience... Yet, Gandhiji demonstrated that despite all this, the government cannot claim ownership over the common person's capacity for rational thought or over their conscience,” he said.
He also cautioned citizens against what he described as systematic attempts on digital platforms and social media propaganda channels, often referred to as “WhatsApp Universities”, to undermine independent thinking and public awareness.
Thackeray said citizens remain sovereign in a democratic republic and that political agitations, street marches and public participation are important means of holding governments accountable.
He concluded by saying that while rulers may embrace Gandhi when it suits their political convenience, the health of democracy depends on preserving his message of peaceful resistance and moral courage.
Thackeray and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray had earlier announced a joint public march in Mumbai on October 4 against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The march is scheduled to begin at Byculla and culminate at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, with participants carrying only the Tricolour.
At a joint press conference on Tuesday, Raj Thackeray said the protest was against the functioning of the Election Commission and concerns over the electoral process. He said he had been raising issues related to EVMs and alleged electoral malpractices since 2017-18.
“We have been consistently raising concerns over EVM manipulation and electoral malpractices for years. Back in 2017-18, I met several political leaders regarding these issues. This march stands against the humiliation of voters and the subversion of our electoral integrity. Whatever we have to say, we will deliver directly from the stage on October 4,” he said.