Even before noises of gloryfying Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse had subsided, a town of Alwar had decided to name a 750 metre, four kane flyover after him.
The flyover connecting Bhagat Singh Circle to Agrasen Circle in Alwar town had a plaque that said ‘Rashtrawadi Nathuram Godse Pul’ (Nationalist Nathuram Godse Bridge), which was removed after the media began asking questions about the decision.
The construction of the flyover was sanctioned by the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in 2012 and was completed recently at a cost of Rs 22 crore under the BJP government of Vasundhara Raje. It is expected to be inaugurated in the next few days.
Faced with queries from the media, officials first feigned ignorance for almost two hours. After consultations with the political and bureaucratic brass, district collector Mahavir Swami sent a team of officials to get the plaque inscription erased. “It was done by some anti-social elements to fan communal tension,” the collector said. However, he could not explain how a plaque could be embedded in cement without drawing the attention of workers and officials at the site.
Former MP Bhanwar Jitendra Singh of the Congress said the flyover was being dedicated to Godse at the behest of BJP leaders and government officials themselves had put up the plaque. “I have inputs about the officials who did it. They are just passing the buck now,” said Singh, a scion of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. Incidentally, the revolver that Godse used to assassinate Gandhi belonged to the Alwar royal family.
The BJP MP from Alwar, Mahant Chandnath, could not be contacted for comment. The local MLA, Banwari Lal Singhal, also belongs to the BJP.
BJP’s Unnao MP, Swami Sakshi Maharaj, recently described Godse as a “nationalist” and “patriot”. There was also an effort to construct a temple dedicated to Godse in western Uttar Pradesh, which was shelved after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly took a dim view of the move.