Full disclosure: don’t count me in as an admirer of Gandhi. His politics are not just problematic to me, but disturbing. He is, to my mind, a figure whose stature was built out of mythology & does not bear close scrutiny. But that demigod stature is deemed real by millions of people throughout history. When the NY Times published an oped piece today by Modi the genocidaire titled “Why India & the World Need Gandhi: the great leader envisioned a world where every citizen has dignity & prosperity,” they were intentionally tapping into the mythology–or iconic stature of Gandhi, if your prefer–to rebuild the reputation of Modi from a genocidaire into a champion of human rights. It is a detestable compromise of the kind the NY Times has made for decades to support Israeli colonialism, apartheid, & genocide against Palestinians.
It isn’t just a compromise but signals that the US power elite is going to cooperate & outright collude with India in covering for the genocide in Kashmir & the disenfranchisement of Muslims in India. The Muslim-hating ‘war on terror’ is that central to US foreign policy goals involving war, occupation, genocide.
However you regard the legacy of Gandhi, #StandWithKashmir.