Thiruvananthapuram: Stirring up a row, the Kerala government on Friday depicted Mahatma Gandhi's assassination on the cover page of its fifth budget presented by finance minister TM Thomas Isaac, who said the move was to send out a message that they "won't forget who murdered Bapu".
The image shows Gandhi lying in blood with bullet injuries as supporters surround him and mourn his death. Stating that it's a painting by a Malayalam artist, Thomas said, "The message is: 'yes, we remember' that Mahatma was murdered; and murdered by Hindu communalists, who are revered today by the ruling party and the central government." He added that the CPI(M)-led LDF government wants to send out a message that the they will remember it and even people won't forget it.
The opposition parties often target the Bharatiya Janata Party for bearing allegiance to an outfit whose member killed the father of the nation. Recently, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that Mahatma's killer Nathuram Godse and PM Narendra Modi believe in the same ideology. Opposition leaders accuse BJP of keeping alive Godse's ideology by making remark that vitiate the atmosphere of the country and lead to people firing at anti-CAA protesters in Delhi.
Citing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill across the country, the Kerala finance minister said, "There is a lot of fear among the people. The youths, who are the future of this country, are on the streets protesting. In such a situation, it is unprecedented that ruling and opposition come together for protests against CAA."
The state legislative assembly has passed and unanimous resolution and the state approached the Supreme Court, he added.
Stating the amended act was posing a threat to the basic credentials of the Constitution, Thomas said the country was witnessing the biggest protests ever in the post-Independence era.
Students and women are at the forefront of the anti-CAA agitations and the hope of the country lies in the youth who hit the streets vowing they would not let the country down, he said.
Coming down heavily on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Isaac said a communalised government machinery, leaders who talk only about "disgust and hatred" and their party workers who consider violence as their duty was the current reality in the country.
"Generally speaking, it is the present India...The concerns triggered by Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are beyond words. The fear of detention centres are hanging above the head of over 19 lakh people of Assam who have lived as Indians till yesterday," he said.
Quoting from a poem 'Fear' by a 15-year old boy from Wayanad Dhruvath Gautham who wrote 'fear is country and silence is an ornament!,' Isaac said "even the imagination of our children is now filled with fear".
Referring to the stringent opposition raised by the Left government in the state against the CAA and NRC, the finance minister lavished praise on the joint protests led by the ruling LDF and opposition UDF against the central act.
Setting aside political differences, the rival fronts in the state had joined hands to protest when the country had faced existential threat which had become a model for other states, he said.
Leader of Opposition in Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, however, differed on the issue and said that the depiction should have been avoided. "Even though we are all fighting against the RSS-BJP, budget cover should have been avoided. We are fighting against the Hindu communal forces, we are all fighting against the RSS-BJP. But I don't think this is an appropriate gesture. Budget is different."
MK Muneer, deputy opposition leader and IUML, parliamentary party leader said, "Mahatma Gandhi should not to be used for political purposes. He should have a place in our heart. Instead, they are coming with a cover page for budget means they are going to utilise Mahatma Gandhi also for the sake of votes. It should not be like that." He added that it is not proper to have the picture of Mahatma Gandhi, especially the one with bullet shots.
"If this is the policy of the government, they would have made this the cover page of the governor's speech. What is the relation between the budget and Gandhi assassination? It is a biggest tragedy that India has faced after independence. That tragedy to be printed as the cover page of the Budget means they are celebrating that also ."
(With PTI inputs)