New Delhi: Gorakhpur-based Gita Press changing into the recipient of the ‘Gandhi Peace Prize’ for the yr 2021 has become the most recent ideological flashpoint between the central authorities and the Opposition.
Following criticism of the central authorities by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh for conferring the prize on Gita Press, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Manoj Kumar Jha too criticised the jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which “after due deliberations on 18 June” reached a “unanimous” choice to honour the 100-year-old writer.
Responding to the criticism, a number of Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) leaders together with sitting and former Union ministers focused the Congress and different Opposition events for objecting to the jury’s choice to confer the prize on Gita Press.
Gita Press spokesperson Ashutosh Upadhyay advised ThePrint that the writer welcomes the award and is grateful to the Prime Minister, however refused to touch upon the political reactions to the jury’s choice.
The Ministry of Tradition had in a press release Sunday stated a jury headed by the Prime Minister “unanimously determined to pick out Gita Press, Gorakhpur because the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the yr 2021, in recognition of its excellent contribution in direction of social, financial and political transformation by way of non-violent and different Gandhian strategies”.
The ‘Gandhi Peace Prize’ is an annual award instituted by the Authorities of India in 1995, on the event of the a hundred and twenty fifth Beginning Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Its recipients are entitled to a prize cash of Rs 1 crore, a quotation, a plaque, and an “beautiful conventional handicraft/handloom merchandise”. Previous awardees embody ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Financial institution of Bangladesh, Vivekananda Kendra (Kanyakumari), Akshaya Patra (Bengaluru), Ekal Abhiyan Belief and Sulabh Worldwide (New Delhi).
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Gita Press turns into flashpoint
Criticising the jury for its choice, Congress’s Jairam Ramesh stated in a tweet Sunday that that the “choice is mostly a travesty and is like awarding Savarkar and Godse”.
He cited journalist Akshaya Mukul’s ebook Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India to say that the ebook “finds the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the working battles it carried on with him on his political, spiritual & social agenda”.
The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been conferred on the Gita Press at Gorakhpur which is celebrating its centenary this yr. There’s a very advantageous biography from 2015 of this organisation by Akshaya Mukul through which he finds the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the… pic.twitter.com/PqoOXa90e6
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2023
In his ebook, Mukul argued that the “concepts articulated by Gita Press and its publications performed a essential function within the formation of a Hindu political consciousness, certainly a Hindu public sphere”.
RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha, whereas stating that one can’t deny its contribution to literature, requested what Gita Press — the world’s largest writer of Hindu spiritual textual content since 1923 — had accomplished for the promotion of peace to deserve the prize.
“What sort of social and cultural transformation have they introduced? They’ve accomplished good work however what’s their contribution to peacebuilding? There are particular parameters concerned in choosing the organisation. For those who have been eager to advertise Gita Press, you can’ve given them any quantity however don’t affiliate with them Gandhi’s identify,” Jha advised reporters Monday.
Responding to the criticism, Union Minister of State for Exterior Affairs and Tradition, Meenakashi Lekhi, accused the Congress of denying the “core values of an inclusive society” and requested “which aspect” the occasion was on.
In a tweet Monday, Lekhi stated Hanuman Prasad Poddar — the founding father of Gita Press — was a “revolutionary arrested by the British” and that Govind Ballabh Pant later really helpful him for a Bharat Ratna.
“It’s first journal Kalyan fought for Dalit entry in temples. Low value publications helped folks retain their religion & pleasure. British thought-about these acts seditious & such acts of expression by Hindus are opposed by the likes of PFI in fashionable India,” remarked Lekhi.
The founding father of Geeta press was Hanuman Prasad Poddar Ji, a revolutionary arrested by British. Govind Vallabh Pant really helpful him for Bharat Ratna . It’s first journal Kalyan fought for Dalit entry in temples. Low value publications helped folks retain their religion & pleasure. By… https://t.co/7Q7Lcq1z7S
— Meenakashi Lekhi (@M_Lekhi) June 19, 2023
Senior BJP chief and former MP Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated if it have been as much as the Congress, all awards and recognitions would land into the kitty of “one household”. Do Congress leaders questioning the transfer even know in regards to the contributions of the Gita Press, he requested.
Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad went additional to allege that the Congress is a celebration of individuals with a “Maoist” mindset.
Commenting that one can’t anticipate anything from a celebration that “created hurdles on the trail to the development of Ram Temple and opposed (legislation towards) Triple Talaq”, he requested, “What might be extra shameful than their touch upon the Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press?”
“We condemn this…I want to say with a heavy coronary heart {that a} occasion that ruled the nation now has folks with a Maoist mindset, they’re advisers of Rahul Gandhi too…This needs to be opposed by the whole nation,” Prasad advised information company ANI Monday.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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