“World didn't know of Mahatma Gandhi till …” Narendra Modi’s remark sparks controversy; Netizens fact-chef PM

“The world did not know of Mahatma Gandhi till the film 'Gandhi' was made”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remark has sparked off a massive controversy ahead of the last phase of the Lok Sabha election on June 1. The opposition parties including Congress, AAP and TMC amongst others have called the statement “arrogant” and “ignorant”. While speaking to a TV channel, the Prime Minister said “Across the world, Mahatma Gandhi was known as a great person. Wasn’t it our responsibility in the past 75 years to ensure that the entire world knew about Mahatma Gandhi? I am sorry to say that no one knew about him until the film 'Gandhi' was made, it was then that there was curiosity across the world as to who this person was…”

Congress reacted sharply and slammed PM Modi for hurting the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi, the congress leader claimed that those who follow Godse, miss out on the legacy of Gandhi. "Those who get their world view in 'Shakhas' cannot understand Gandhi ji, they understand Godse and follow Godse's path. Gandhi ji was an inspiration to the entire world. Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and Albert Einstein were all inspired by Gandhi. Crores of people in India follow Gandhi's path of truth and non-violence”, Rahul Gandhi said through a video message. He further called it a fight between truth and untruth. “Those who are violent and untrue neither understand non-violence nor truth,” he added

Mahatma Gandhi as an Indian appeared in the ‘Time Magazine’, declared as the Person of the Year in 1931. Similarly, Gandhi was the “most talked about man in the world”, according to Hawk-Eye of the US, published in 1931. Social media went abuzz as how Albert Einstein gave a special tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 70th birthday in 1939 by calling him “a leader of the people”. Einstein wrote “ Generations to come, it may be, will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth”

Priyanka Gandhi too slammed the remarks, calling it a lack of knowledge on the part of the PM. "It is surprising to know that the prime minister knows so little about the history of his country and the heroes of the freedom movement. Perhaps for them, Gandhiji is also just a PR stunt," she said in a post in Hindi on X.

Similarly, Trinamool Congress called the remarks unfortunate and claimed “ PM Narendra Modi questioned the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, the tall figure of the Indian Independence Movement who is respected and revered all across the world”. The party posted on ‘X’ hitting out at the PM stating “Modi ji, Mahatma Gandhi lives in the heart of every Indian”