Hindus treated Gandhi as an infallible oracle whose word ended debate

Evidence

In his classic essay, “Gandhi as Mahatma”, the historian Shahid Amin describes how the combination of cleverly planted rumours by local Congress leaders, adulatory—and sometimes hallucinatory—newspaper reporting, a gullible people and Gandhi’s extraordinary charisma built up mass hysteria which culminated in the deification of Mahatma Gandhi. — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 280 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Gandhi’s moral authority silenced Hindu dissent rather than inviting debate; Gandhi’s deification arose from planted rumours, credulous reporting and charisma — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 280; Post-war Western anxiety drove Europeans to deify Gandhi as a Christ figure (+1 more)

Related

• Gandhi’s deification arose from planted rumours, credulous reporting and charisma (similarity 0.95)
• Gandhi’s moral authority made his word effectively unanswerable to many Hindus. (similarity 0.84)
• Mass deification of Gandhi was manufactured by planted rumors and press hysteria (similarity 0.83)
• Gandhi’s caste views differed little from those of the Hindu right. (similarity 0.80)
• Gandhi opposed non-Hindu involvement in caste struggles as an internal Hindu matter (similarity 0.79)
• Gandhi contradicted himself on whether varna is essential to Hinduism (similarity 0.79)
• Gandhi’s moral authority cannot be separated from his caste views (similarity 0.79)
• Gandhi’s posthumous veneration has made him all things to all people (similarity 0.79)
• Gandhi’s caste views aligned closely with Hindu nationalist views (similarity 0.79)
• Ambedkar frames belief in the shastras and liberalism as contradictory (similarity 0.79)
• Gandhi’s caste ambivalence disillusioned even his non-Hindu colleague George Joseph (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Gandhi’s moral authority silenced Hindu dissent rather than inviting debate #corroborates (0.85)
• Gandhi’s deification arose from planted rumours, credulous reporting and charisma #expands (0.55) — Ambedkar, B R, Annihilation of Caste_ The Annotated…, 280
• Post-war Western anxiety drove Europeans to deify Gandhi as a Christ figure #corroborates (0.40)