Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) member Varun Gandhi on Saturday took to Twitter and slammed users for trending "Nathuram Godse Zindabad" (Long Live Nathuram Godse). He said those tweeting "Godse zindabad" on the occasion of "Gandhi Jayanti" are "irresponsibly shaming the nation".
Although many people are criticising the trend, over 161,000 people have tweeted on the topic. The hashtag has been one of the top trends on the Indian section of Twitter on Saturday.
India on Saturday celebrated the 152nd Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with pride and joy. To commemorate Gandhi's contribution to India's freedom struggle, his birth anniversary (2 October) is marked as "Gandhi Jayanti" every year.
On 30 January 1948, Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. He shot Gandhi in the chest three times at a point blank range in India's national capital. He was a member of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Hindu Mahasabha. He was sentenced to death on 8 November 1949.