Mahatma Gandhi to stand with foes at British parliament
British Finance Minister George Osborne, on a trip to New Delhi to meet the new government of Narendra Modi, wrote on Twitter that Britain would "honour his memory" with a statue in Parliament Square.
India's independence hero will therefore rub shoulders with his one-time nemesis, British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, who once said he hoped Gandhi would die from fasting and famously derided him as a "half-naked fakir".
The Gandhi statue will also stand alongside one of Jan Smuts, a leader of South Africa in the early 20th century who favoured racial segregation.
Gandhi was jailed by Smuts' government for his work campaigning for the rights of downtrodden Indians, a forerunner to his more famous fight at home that would strike fear into successive British governments until independence in 1947.
"I hope this new memorial will be a lasting and fitting tribute to his memory in Britain, and a permanent monument to our friendship with India," Osborne said in a statement.
Parliament Square is opposite the Palace of Westminster which houses the British legislature and contains statues of statesmen and other historical figures, including South Africa's Nelson Mandela.
Osborne and Foreign Secretary William Hague will meet Modi later Tuesday as part of efforts to push for trade and access for British companies to the Indian market.
Hague, who visited a memorial to Gandhi in New Delhi on Tuesday, described him as a "towering inspiration and a source of strength", while Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj thanked the British government for the gesture.
The Gandhi statue fits a pattern of Britain reviving -- and appearing to atone for -- its colonial past in India during visits by senior figures.
In February last year, Prime Minister David Cameron visited the site of a notorious massacre in 1919 when troops under British control gunned down hundreds of unarmed protesters.
He described the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in the city of Amritsar as "shameful" but stopped short of a public apology.
Reaction to the news of the Gandhi statue was mixed.
Commentator and marketing executive Suhel Seth wrote on Twitter that "with this announcement you'll win the hearts of every Indian (and) also help those all over the world be inspired".
Journalist Kabir Taneja joked that "Churchill's statue may develop a frown when Gandhi's statue is placed alongside him".
European governments including Britain and the United States boycotted Modi for a decade over deadly religious riots in 2002 while he was running his home state of Gujarat.
But they are now doubling their efforts to make up for lost time following his election triumph in May, with Russia's deputy prime minister, the French foreign minister and US Senator John McCain all visiting in recent weeks.
COMMENTS (38)
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Statue is not yet ready and pigeons have already gathered here!
From comments on this write-up, I can see that British chicanery is succeeding.
The Indians are overwhelmed by British political chicanery.
ET: Kindly help me with my right to reply to someone who has written to me. @Rudra: 1) Already said in my previous post that Gandhi had great qualities and since I have studied him I did not need any information that you needlessly provide. 2) You have singled out Euro-fighters but I have said that Britain is going for not only that but for "...investment corridors, through easy access to India’s markets with over three hundred million middle class consumers, with increasing disposable income..." and those are just examples. 3) Business will be done on the basis of economic feasibility which I have nowhere denied but public relations always help and that was my point. 4) You accuse me of "Shed the anti india bias for once at least." but nowhere there is any bias in my writing but I am trying to give my Indian "friends" the other side for their own benefit, although they all are smarter than I am. However, your anti-Pakistan bias comes through the language you have used, including your "That’s the stupidest thing I have ever heard...," regarding Euro-fighters, which you isolate for making your argument tenable but which I never singled out. So here again your reasoning is erroneous. 5) Mind you, the Indians, I admit are most smart, but I believe the British are smarter.
Great Leader
@Take it easy: I don't think so because if getting business is the motive means there are so many other ways to do it... today each and every Indian states are competing with each to get business and investments from overseas. Secondly if business is the motive behind this means British would have put the statue of Chinese leader but that did not happened. Above all even if business is the motive means there is nothing wrong in it because today's world is inter related to each other India's prosperity to richness is depended on rest of the world, in the same way rest world also needs India... this kind situation is good for everyone and good for world peace... later stages this will lead to no war situation because if there is war in any part of the globe almost entire world is going to get affected (example: Gulf war), so business should grow and world should be inter dependent on each other.
@take it easy The statue has nothing to do with euro fighters. Erecting statues don't get you contracts in india or anywhere. That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard.They were previously giving us aid did we give them the deal? No. Instead we declined their aid and gave deal to French. And it will lie with French unless they mess up with delays,no statue is going to change that deal.Business is business dude we don't mix charity or culture into it. We dint even give it to USA who had given us nuclear deal and entry in many elite clubs. They too know the facts india has its own interests and way of working buttering us doesn't work or get them entry into our markets buddy like you claim. What works is profitability,feasibility if they give us good deals or same leverage in their country markets or transfer technology. As far as mahatma gandhi is concerned pick major world leader collage or videos you will find gandhi as of those few revered world leaders of all time worldwide. He's more respected figure there than in india honestly. Here we still differ on his minority appeasement policy. But the western country people, textbooks,leaders quote, Gandhi's quotes or take inspiration from him every now and then. In fact let we remind you gandhiji's birthday is celebrated worldwide as non violence day.I don't think the world or UN approved the proposal unanimously decades ago to butter india or sell their fighters right? Specially when we were poor socialist country till 91. Shed the anti india bias for once at least. Tomorrow you will say Nielsen Mandela was revered because they wanted to butter and sell contracts to Africa.
@R.Subramanian: Undoubtedly Gandhi had great qualities. But why are the British erecting a statue at this time? Why did it take them over sixty years to realize the importance of this symbolic edification of Gandhi? Why Indians so easily buttered are, actually overly flattered, by such overtures? Why can't they see that Britain is trying to get economic favors from India through trying to sell it fighters, through investment corridors, through easy access to India's markets with over three hundred million middle class consumers, with increasing disposable income? Yes, forget about past brutalities of British rule but see this elevation/appreciation/admiration for what it is. Best wishes,
@manoj.a.p: Gandhi had no enemies
Gandhi considered none enemies. An enemy is not an enemy unless he is so considered.
What are article's last two paragraph about ? Everywhere you have to point Modi ! interesting !
@Syed Ali Because people who divide are not considered great. What world should think about mr Jinnah that he created nation for a particular religion only. A great person thinks for all people, a great person thinks for uniting.
Salute to our desi English media that calls and writes Gandhi as Mahatama but is loathed to write and call Quaid e Azam, instead just derisively calls "Jinnah".
That is saluting Indian Values. Non Violence and Vasudhaiv kutumbkam (whole world is family). Again Non violence is always greater than violence. Uniting forces are always better than Breaking forces. Selfless people are always better than showoff people
Its not about how much square kilometeres you won, its all about how many hearts you won. Indian values won hearts of enemies too. While violence supporters and divisive people are forgotten by their own people.
@ModiFied: Oye modified correct yr spelling. It is GANDHI rpt GANDHI and not Gandi.
@Syed Ali: You are wrong when you state: "but Mr. Jinnah created something from nothing with his bare hands ." You are ignoring the evolution of Muslim nationalism in India, which began much before Jinnah was even born. That includes the contributions of Shah Waliullah, and later during Jinnah's times or thereabout the call for separate electorates by Syed Ahmed Khan. Allama Iqbal was no less a molder of the Muslim opinion for carving out a Muslim state out of India. Indeed, at one point, Jinnah called Allama's idea of Pakistan a madman's dream. Another unsung hero of Pakistan movement is Liaquat Ali Khan, whom Iqbal had sent to London in the 1930's to persuade the dejected Jinnah to come back to lead the Pakistan movement. If Liaquat were a politician like one of today, he could have easily have taken the position himself.
The great man deserves this and much, much more. He unleashed a hitherto unknown force - the power of non-violence. How many students in Pakistan have even read about him? He freed your nation too. Cooking up your own history by turning villains into heroes and heroes into villains leaves few good role models for the youth to look up to.
@Syed Ali: You don't get it. The British do not need to flatter Pakistan as our rulers have usually if not always have been subservient to their former rulers.
@Syed Ali:
"but Mr. Jinnah created something from nothing "
That's not true.
Mr. Jinnah created failure, chaos, violence and war out of nothing.
Now British chicanery is up to flattering the Indians as they see trade and investment opportunities and are planning on economic/industrial corridors in India. Cameron, while visiting the Jallanwala Bagh stood in silence for some time to show remorse for the massacre. Actually, if British were really sincere in lamenting about their brutality during their rule, they should as a symbol of true remorse, try General Dyer posthumously and convict him as a criminal. On the contrary, they continue to hail him as a British hero. This is where they are failing the acid test.
WHY NOT Mr. Jinnah...??? Was he any less...? Gandhi just inherited a nation that would have been created anyway (given the tides of time, "winds of change" and all that -- age of decolonization, diminishing of "British power post-WW2" etc etc) -- but Mr. Jinnah created something from nothing with his bare hands and let us face it, if not for him, there would have been NO PAKISTAN at all, where as India had Nehru, Patel etc. So again I ask, WHY NOT Mr. Jinnah for the same "honor"...??? Really, Pakistan if it has any self-respect left should vehemently protest this clear and naked dishonor and discrimination. Shame on Britain, and its so-called "government"..!!
@Arif Sheikh:
Who is maj?
@Manoj a.p: "Gandhi had no enemies" I don't think that is true. Hindu nationalists of the time thought that Gandhi was accommodating/ appeasing Muslims at the cost of Hindus. Godse, who killed Gandhi, spoke at length of the reasons of killing Gandhi. Gandhi thought that Muslims should be accommodated and India should not be divided. In my view Gandhi was too simplistic in his approach in understanding Muslim leaders and political Islam and paid the price of his life. Gandhi truly believed in unity in diversity. Unfortunately Muslims did not think the same way that time and even today.
@G. Din: Yeah in Turkey they have a statue of Jinnah on the road where the Indian Embassy is. Haha the Indian government has been complaining since 1947 about it. Interestingly, the road is called M.Cinnah ( in Turkish C=J).
Gandhi had no enemies
@Zaheer Ahmad: Sorry to break the bubble...
But outside Pakistan,noone thinks Jinnah is a bigger personality than Gandhi...
and outside South Asia and maybe certain muslim countries,noone even knows Jinnah in the first place....
I dont want to denigrate Jinnah,but I'm just stating the truth...Ask ur cousins in USA if u still have doubt
Albert Eienstein who was voted No1 in the Time's 20th Century most influential people said of Gandhi who was voted as No 2 in the same list famously said: "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." Compare the above with what Jinnah said of Gandhi: "“I have nothing to do with this pseudo-religious approach that Gandhi is advocating.” To me Jinnah's quote appears extremely confusing because he created "The Islamic Republic of Pakistan". More than 70 years since his quote history has judged him whether he was right or wrong. The hint appears to be whether UK will put a statue of Jinnah in the same place.
He had been there many times, and sat among them, and inspired many people around them and the future generations. His statue at parliament square will tell who won the battle and why and how and for what cause.
India freedom movement was a small part in his life. He was a great humanist, a fore runner to all human rights activists, and told the world including India what does human dignity and human rights mean.
He was a true Christian and lived his life according to the sermon on the mount by Christ.
UK cannot separate itself from India-historically, culturally, politically, and monetarily.
"Gandhi ... would strike fear into successive British governments until independence in 1947."
The world knows it was MAJ who single-handedly freed not one but two nations. Its laughable how some people keep denying the role of Sun in broad daylight.
@Zaheer Ahmad:
Well there is a statue of Benzir bhutto in Pakistan as a consolation.
@ Zaheer Ahmed: I wonder how many statues of Jinnah exist in Pakistan ? I assume there must be in your parliament and assembly foregrounds ? Outside Pakistan there is one at least in York University campus, Toronto. As far as Gandhi is concerned, here is the list with some details; http://peace.maripo.com/p_gandhi.htm
Greatest man who even loved by his enemies. He believed in non-violence and used it as a weapon more powerful than all the arms and armies. He accepted his failures. He lead a nation of illiterate masses to march for freedom. UK is honouring itself by honouring Mahatma Gandhi.
It is about time for England to recognize Gandhi in this fashion, one of the three influential leaders of 20th century (Mao, and Martin Luther King are others). It is the trade that brought the East India Company and many fortune seekers from the UK over to the subcontinent. Now, the trade patterns are reversed slightly but India is still a big market and nice to be able to trade at an equitable level.
@Zaheer Ahmad: Has any country in the world anywhere, including Islamic countries, put up a statue of Jinnah?
I wish we could have a statue of Jinnah, but it is quite hard while the nation is torn apart into religious FIRQAs, rich and poor, strong and weak, Punjabi - sindhi - balochi and pathan.