Panaji (Goa) National President of BJP Shri Amit Shah’s recent statement at Raipur that Mahatma Gandhi was a “Chatur Baniya”, is a highly castist statement aimed at denigrating the unparalled role Gandhiji played in India’s freedom movement , during which time, some of the ancestors of , now BJP, were with Britishers playing anti-India role, said Mr Shantaram Naik M.P. in a statement today in Goa.
Mr Naik , who is lone member of Rajya Sabha from Goa said that BJP may be trying putting garlands on the photo- frame of Gandhiji in recent years, for narrow political reasons, after directly and indirectly abusing Gandhiji for decades, but ,they should do some introspection and identify the forces which killed Gandhiji.
Mr Naik recollected that it is the BJP Government of Goa, some years back issued Gazette notification cancelling Gandhi Jayanti 2nd October public national holiday in the State, along with Good Friday holiday and Old Goa Feast holiday, thereby exhibiting their hatred towards the Father of the Nation , and also hatred towards members of one of the minority communities.
Mr Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa , and former Defence Minister, the culprit who issued the notorious notification, type of which even Atal Bihari Vajpayee would not have dared to issue, later on withdrew it.
Mr Naik further said that BJP claims that a substantial number of traders community are with them but, after reading Amit Shah’s statement and the manner in which shah has humiliated the baniya caste, by ironically calling the caste as ‘chatur’, it is doubtful whether any baniya will fall prey to the loud mouthed talks of Amitji hereafter.
