Writer James W Douglass, who wrote brilliant investigative books on the political assassinations of figures like Malcolm X, John F Kennedy and Mahatma Gandhi, once said, “The organised killing of JFK, Malcolm, Martin, and RFK was a mortal attack on our democracy.” He also wrote that he hoped a “midnight truth will free us from our bondage to violence”.

Douglass’s words are worth remembering in the context of Pragya Singh Thakur calling Nathuram Godse a patriot for killing Mahatma Gandhi. She retracted it almost immediately—but she did speak the truth. The Sangh Parivar considers Godse a hero. Its members reportedly burst crackers and distributed sweets on the day of Gandhi’s murder. Given a chance, they would even build a temple for him. More recently, on January 30 this year, Hindu Mahasabha leader Puja Shakun Pandey re-enacted Gandhi’s assassination in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh. This act was never denounced by anyone from the Hindu Mahasabha or the Sangh Parivar.

Its political wing, the Bharatiya Janata Party, openly acknowledges its affiliation to these Right-wing Hindu organisations and is proud of its lineage. Then why can’t Sadhvi Pragya speak the truth? Why did she have to go against her beliefs and retract her statement, say that she was wrong, and claim that she has a lot of respect for Mahatma Gandhi? She simply spoke an unspeakable truth which everyone knows exists but no one dares say it.

In this particular case, two facts emerge. One is that members of the Sangh Parivar hate Mahatma Gandhi. This hatred dates back at least 100 years, when Gandhi first met Savarkar in the UK and they had their first debate on diametrically opposing ideologies. Gandhi was still in the process of developing his ideology, but he was very clear of the pillars on which it stands: satya and ahimsa. Savarkar detested the very thought since he was propagating violence as the only course for independence.

This was the first time their ideological differences came to the fore. As far back as 1909, Savarkar’s followers could not stand Gandhi’s rising influence—and they decided to kill him. After five known attempts, they succeeded in killing him the sixth time. Even after Gandhi’s death, the constant propaganda to show him in a negative light has lasted for over 75 years.

Pragya Singh Thakur brought this out: that she, as part of the Sangh Parivar, endorses the ideology represented by Savarkar, hates Gandhi, and considers Godse a true hero who fulfilled his duty by killing the Mahatma. It’s in complete conflict with the ideologies of satya and ahimsa.  

The other fact that comes to the fore in this chain of events is that Mahatma Gandhi remains a name revered by many even today, notwithstanding negative propaganda and circulation of fake stories for decades. This is why this remains an “unspeakable”.

Why are we so scared of speaking the truth? It’s simple: we fear the consequences. The system punishes those who attempts to say the unspeakable by killing them. The evidence is there for everyone to see. Think of the activists murdered in recent years. Those in power take advantage of the fact that people fear speaking the truth and thus create a state of terror.

In Pragya Singh’s case, the consequence would be an adverse impact on electoral politics. Power is the only and ultimate aim. And yet, why did the BJP field candidates like her? Is it because they think she’s innocent? Or is it because they know she actually did what she’s accused of?

We should care that the truth is spoken. If we don’t, the unspeakable creates a vacuum, leading to many more murders in this cloak of darkness.

The matter doesn’t end here. This point is completely missed by those who are brainwashed to hate Gandhi and his methods. They forget that Gandhi is revered, not because he was instrumental in achieving independence the non-violent way, but because of the alternative he presented to a human race facing an existential crisis. And so the murder of Gandhi and his ideology will continue to remain unspeakable for all religious fundamentalists for the times to come.