- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE state government of Gujarat has an ambitious plan to revamp the world-renowned Sabarmati Ashram of Mahatma Gandhi and it is no stranger to criticism.
The project worth Rs 1,200 crore (£119 million) has been at the focus of a controversy ever since it was first unveiled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of Gujarat in 2019, the year that marked the Mahatma’s 150th birth anniversary.
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The Gujarat government had proposed redevelopment of the ashram when prime minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat but it had been gathering dust for many years. The Modi government gave its nod to the Gujarat government’s ashram revitalisation plan.
However, not all are happy about the plan which aims to convert the ashram into a ‘world class memorial’. It is in fact one of the pet projects of the Indian government and Modi.
India’s The Quint news outlet reported on what the residents of the Gandhi ashram are thinking about the plan and they are not okay with the idea of the government relocating them to take up the ashram for remodelling.
One such individual is Kantilal Rathore. He has been living in the premises of the ashram for five generations now. He told The Quint that for the government, the ashram is nothing more than a “money making machine” but for him and other residents, it is about inheritance and lineage.
“This is a BJP government which has made temples and statues in the honour of (Nathuram) Godse. They do not value the simplicity of Gandhi. For them this is just a money-making business, but my family has been living here for almost 104 years. Where will I go?” he asked in an unequivocal tone.
Rathore is seconded by people like Kesarben Rathore and Trupti Rathore. Their families have also been residing in the ashram premises for ages now and they are upset that they could have to move from a place where their ancestors once lived and even were born.
“This is the place our ancestors were born. How can we forget that? Currently, the fifth generation of our family is living here. How can we go somewhere else?” The Quint quoted Kesarben as saying.
It is not only a fear of losing attachment with their roots which has left the residents worried. Many of them also fear that relocation from the ashram will see them losing their livelihoods.
Nipuna Rathore is one such person. She owns a small shop near the main ashram road and is afraid that by moving to another place, she could see her small-scale business taking a toll.
“They haven’t given us ‘harijans’ jobs in the ashram. They are just asking us to leave. Now where will we go? I have a house closer to the main road where we run a small shop. I have two kids. Where will we go now?” she asked.
The angry residents claimed that the government had initially promised to give them a compensation of Rs 75 lakh each for their homes. But during the Covid pandemic, that amount came down to Rs 65 lakh and now, only Rs 60 lakh is being offered.
The residents are clearly not convinced about the compensation.
“We were first told that we will get Rs 75 lakh as compensation. This was two years back before the coronavirus pandemic. Then they told us that we will get Rs 65 lakh and now they’ve come down to Rs 60 lakh. This is making us nervous,” one resident named Maniben Parmer told The Quint.
India will celebrate the 152nd birth anniversary of the Mahatma on Saturday (2).
