MUMBAI, August 1: Usha Mehta, one of the last surviving Gandhians, today lashed out at the alleged duplicity of multinational corporations in India who appear to have tricked her and the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi into promoting an ad for a popular product.

The ad created for the popular transnational company Colgate-Palmolive (which could not be reached for its comments) has already drawn flak in Parliament for its use of the Vande Mataram cry. On her part, Dr Mehta is now considering banning television crews altogether from Mani Bhavan, the headquarters of the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (GSN), where the Vande Mataram in the ad was filmed.

Considering that she is one of the few persons around who can still recall the freedom movement and Independence Day 50 years ago, Dr Mehta, a GSN trustee, has been flooded with requests by the print as well as electronic media for a recap of the events preceding Independence. She has readily complied. So she trustingly agreed to recreate the spirit of the Vande Mataram cry for the camera. She was given to understand it was for a ``news feature.''

``They asked us to raise our arms in the Vande Mataram salute and we did so. They did retakes. Now I find those clips have been appended to an ad,'' a visibly angry Mehta told Express Newsline. ``I strongly object to being used in an advertisement. Had I known their purpose from the beginning, I would never have allowed them on the premises.''

The normally cool lady was, however, even more incensed with the attempts of those responsible for the ad to pass it off as a ``sponsorship'' by Colgate-Palmolive. ``When I objected, they said television programmes need to be sponsored by private companies and so the Colgate ad might have appeared at the end of their programme. Who are they trying to fool? The Vande Mataram with the Colgate Palmolive logo has been repeated again and again. I have told them to withdraw it immediately or else I will take serious action.''

What has upset her most is that she and the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi stand for socialism and are against liberalisation. ``So we are not likely to endorse a multinational product. Moreover, Vande Mataram was our battle hymn and they are not just cheapening it by using it in an ad but also destroying the dignity of the freedom movement. Vande Mataram can never stand for commercialism,''she said.

Meanwhile, Mehta is loosing no cool over attempts to embroil her in another controversy. This relates to her acceptance of an invitation from the Sena-BJP government to lead prabhat pheris on August 9 as part of its Golden Jubilee celebrations. The Brihanmumbai Pradesh Youth Congress has objected on the grounds that its leaders have in the past abused Mahatma Gandhi and refused to accept him as the Father of the Nation.

Mehta has agreed to convey their feelings to the state government and will suggest that an apology from these leaders might be in order. But she feels that a boycott of the celebrations is no answer. ``Freedom is an absolute value and this should be above party interests,'' she said. ``Bombay is fortunate that it started the freedom movement and that the last call was also issued from here. So we must all help to celebrate the fact that we have kept our freedom intact for these 50 years.''

She, however, reserves her right to criticise any of the Sena-BJP's transgressions in the future. "If Bal Thackeray and his family run wild tomorrow, I am certainly not going to keep quiet. But we must all be constructive: support the government in its good deeds and take it apart for the bad.`' Staying free has been the greatest achievement of the freedom movement, Mehta believes.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.