The Indian prime minister unveiling a bust of the Mahatma during his recent visit to Hiroshima should not strike as odd. After all, Indian dignitaries, politicians and other notables, have, over the years, inaugurated similar memorabilia all over the world that have been dedicated to M.K. Gandhi. There is, however, reason to wonder whether Mr Modi’s deference on international shores to, arguably, the most respected Indian around the world matches his commitment to Gandhi and, more important, Gandhian values in his home country. The chasm that separates New India and Gandhi has been widened under Mr Modi’s watch. One of Mr Modi’s peers, a parliamentarian, was allowed to get away with praising Gandhi’s assassin as a patriot. Neither is it a matter of coincidence that the new Parliament is being inaugurated on the birth anniversary of V.R. Savarkar, the Hindutva ideologue, whose vision of a majoritarian republic is in deep conflict with the ideals espoused by Gandhi. Perhaps the most compelling evidence of the tilt of Mr Modi’s regime away from Gandhi is the tattered nature of India’s current social fabric. Inclusivity has been traded for exclusion. Communal disharmony has spiked; so much so that Mr Modi’s India has earned the ignominy of being called out by the international fraternity for its failure to protect minorities. India’s secular sensibilities are being repeatedly demonised by not just those manning the corridors of power but also, quite often, the man on the street. The birth of the edifice of Parliament coinciding with the birth anniversary of the proponent of divisiveness and religious polarisation is, therefore, rich in symbolism.
Gandhi’s eclipse in modern India bares another discomfiting truth. India has been content with reducing Gandhi to an icon. Public places sprout his statues; roads bear his name; the currency has his countenance; the Swachh Bharat Mission, among several government initiatives, bears his imprint as well. But this hallowed status has served as a trap, entombing Gandhi under laurels and respect sans serious institutional investments in the Gandhian way of life. Gandhi, an iconoclast, would have been horrified by this deification. But his political successors find this culture of idolisation quite convenient. It helps deflect attention from the distance that India — New India — has travelled away from Gandhi and towards, Mr Modi’s opponents would add, Savarkar.