Godse Should Not be Glorified or Vilified: Author

PANAJI: Anup Sardesai, whose controversial book "Nathuram Godse - The Story of an Assassin" kicked up a political storm in Goa on its release on the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi, says Gandhi's killer should neither be glorified nor vilified.   

"As far as murder is concerned, the killing should never be justified. I must confess that while writing the book I was neither condemning the murder nor glorifying it. My personal opinion is that Nathuram Godse should not be vilified nor glorified," Sardesai told PTI.            

"If we understand his (Godse's) psyche, such murders can be prevented in future. In India even today, a common man has no voice...this is why violence goes to the extreme," the 44-year-old author said.    

Sardesai said while writing the book he had spent a considerable time with Godse's family in Pune.

"I met Godse's family in Pune. They are well off, but even today they are called as the family of Gandhi's killers. There was a Facebook post by Vaidehi Godse on Gandhi Jayanti. She said even today we respect Gandhi," Sardesai said, adding "don't glorify him as an assassin but don't vilify the family."   

About the book, Sardesai said it was launched in mid- October last year online on Flipkart and Amazon.            

"I was waiting for the official launch of the book to see the response from the people. It was sold online and people accepted it. No one sought a ban on it," he said referring to the controversy raised by the newly formed party Goa Forward and Independent legislator Vijai Sardesai during the book launch.  

On January 29, the BJP-led government in Goa had disallowed use of its premises for the scheduled release of the book on January 30 (Mahatma's death anniversary) amid protests and to possibly avoid a potential controversy.         

Goa Forward, launched by former State Election Commissioner Prabhkar Timble recently, opposed letting out of the government premises for the release of the book which it termed as an "unpatriotic cause".          

BJP leader Damodar Naik, chairman of Ravindra Bhavan, was initially expected to release the book at the state-owoned auditorium but it was later done by Satyaki Savarkar, the grand nephew of Godse, after it courted controversy.