Controversy over tweet against Gandhian belief & ideology, says Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson
A day after she was transferred from the BMC after her controversial tweet calling for Mahatma Gandhi's legacy to be wiped out, IAS officer Nidhi Choudhari penned a poem on a social media site explaining her stance. The poem, written in Hindi, notes her sense of grief and claimed if the Mahatma were alive, he would have stood by and sympathised with her.
On May 17, Choudhari, had tweeted that about the "exceptional celebration" of the 150th birth anniversary of the father of the nation. "High time, we remove his face from our currency, his statues from across the world, rename institutions/ roads named after him! That would be real tribute from all of us! ThankU #Godse for 30.01.1948," she had tweeted.
However, after a controversy, which saw NCP chief Sharad Pawar and state Congress president Ashok Chavan call for action against her, the bureaucrat said the tweet was satirical and reflected her "deep grief against the vilification of Gandhiji." NCP leader Jitendra Avhad had also called for Choudhari's suspension for "derogatory" tweet, which was deleted after the backlash.
Choudhari in the poem, said her tweet had been misinterpreted. While expressing her sense of hurt, Choudhari said "someone else may blame you, but it is Gandhiji's values which have helped me."
"If Bapu were alive today, he perhaps would have cried with me, he would said, the dark night will soon pass, it is never easy to act on my values," she wrote. Choudhari appended the poem with a disclaimer stating: "Views are deeply & purely personal. Not written in official capacity. Infer the intended meanings. Don't jump to conclusions without reading every word of the poem."
Meanwhile, the Mahatma's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi defended the IAS officer over her tweet and said the backlash was uncalled for and against Gandhian values.
"The controversy over Nidhi's tweet on Gandhi was uncalled for. I have seen that shoes were slammed against her picture which is totally against Gandhian belief and ideology. People should have the right to speak their mind," Tushar said. He batted for Choudhari's freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution and said the criticism should be seen as an attempt to muzzle people's right to air their views.
"I have no problem with her tweet. Even if she was motivated by hatred, we should respect her right to express the opinion. If her tweet is considered derogatory by any means, we can debate on it in an intellectual manner," Tushar opined.
In Brief
- On Monday, Choudhari, an IAS officer of the 2012 batch, was transferred as deputy secretary in the state water supply and sanitation department. In the BMC, Choudhari held charge as deputy municipal commissioner (special).
- Choudhari in the poem, written in Hindi, said her tweet had been misinterpreted.
—(With agency inputs)
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