How Gandhi invoked 1st Caliph of Islam Abu Bakr in 1937 to implore Indian National Congress🧵
We all have seen how much Gandhi loved Muslims and How much he chastised Hindus whenever they reacted to Muslim savagery during the riots in the erstwhile British India, But in 1937 Gandhi went a bit far in placating his favorite theological children.
Read on......
1. The Experiment
The British allowed the 1937 elections in India as part of the reforms introduced by the Government of India Act of 1935. This act aimed to grant limited self-governance to Indians while maintaining British control over key areas like defense and foreign affairs. The elections were held to establish provincial legislative assemblies, giving Indians a degree of political participation.
The British hoped these reforms would appease growing nationalist demands while ensuring their authority remained intact. However, the elections also allowed the Indian National Congress to gain significant political power, forming governments in several provinces and strengthening the independence movement. It was a calculated move by the British, but it had unintended consequences for their colonial rule.
Congress won 5 states compared to 2 by Muslim League.
2. The message
As usual Congress Super President Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi started imposing his fraud of so called "Minimalist Life Style" on the newly elected congress provincial govts. In July 1937 Gandhi wrote in his Newspaper Harijan that all Congress ministers shall stick to a minimalist life style matching the life style of their electors.
This was written by a m an who kept his Goats healthy with then Rs 10 as their monthly expense and this excludes expenses for the foreign travel of these goats whenever they would accompany Gandhi during his trips to U.K. !!
3. The Icon
In 27th July 1937 issue of Harijan, Gandhi deify Prophet Muhamad and Caliph Abu Bakr as the ideal examples of simplicity and minimalist lifestyle despite Caliph Abu Bakr having access to all the riches!!
Gandhi even dismissed Shri Ram and Shri Krishna as some pre-historic examples not fir for him to quote them as symbols of Raj Dharma and pious life.
In the same vain Gandhi dismissed Maharana Pratap and Chhatrapati Shivaji by writing that both of them though lived a minimalist life for a part of their lives but they did it in the pursuit of power!!
4. The minimalist fraud
When Sarojini Naidu said that:
"It needs a lot of money to keep Bapu poor”
In his book, the late Khushwant Singh, quoting Sarojini Naidu, wrote about Gandhi and goat milk. It is said the goat was kept in a neat and tidy place; it was washed with toilet soap and was fed with dry fruits and other proteins! It is estimated that the upkeep of the goat was to the tune of ₹10 per month!
₹10 per month during 1940, in any measure, was a huge amount. No surprise that Sarojini Naidu, a feisty, outspoken woman who was totally unfazed by his growing rock-star status (by the standards of the 1930s) and global celebrity berated Gandhi for his attempts to live in poverty, as a semi-recluse, in his ashram on it the banks of the Sabarmati River, at that time on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
“Do you know how much it costs every day to keep you in poverty?”
She is reputed to have asked him. Gandhiji’s response is unknown, but it is clear he was not offended, because he knew the accusation was true.
5. The showman
Gandhi always made a show of his minimalist lifestyle while having all the facilities for himself at those times. It's another thing that he enforced his minimalistic celibate philosophy of life on his followers like a tyrant.
6. The father in law
Abu Bakr, who became the 1st Caliph of Islam after the demise of Prophet Mohammad, was the father-in-law of Prophet Mohammad since Mohammad had married the 6-year-old daughter of Abu Bakr named Aisha.
7. The wives
The Prophet Muhammad had 11 wives, including Khadija, Sawdah, Aisha, Hafsa, Zaynab bint Khuzayma, Hind bint Abi Umayya, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwayriya, Ramla, Safiyya, and Maymunah.
8. Father's and Daughters
Incidentally second Caliph Umar was also a father in law of Priphet Mohammad as Umar had married his daughter Hafsa bint umar to Prophet Mohammad.
9. Since the 1931 Kanpur riots report, Congress had established an agenda to glorify everything Islam and to the extent that it would re-write history textbooks then being taught in school.
10. So, no wonder Gandhi, like always, glorified the forefathers of Mughals as some peace-loving ascetics who should be role models of the simple life.
11. You can read about peaceful reign of Caliph Abu Bakr at the below links:
britannica.com/biography/Abu-…
britannica.com/topic/riddah
yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/the…
ancient-origins.net/history-import…
al-islam.org/restatement-hi…
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