New Delhi, 19/06/2023: The Central government today awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to publisher Gita Press from UP. The decision was taken by a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award established by the Government of India in 1995, on Mahatma Gandhi’s 125th birth anniversary, as a tribute to his values. This year marks the centennial of Gita Press.
PM Modi praised the world’s largest publisher for its “commendable work” over the previous century.
“I congratulate Gita Press, Gorakhpur, on receiving the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2021.” They have done great work advancing social and cultural reforms among the people over the previous 100 years,” the Prime Minister tweeted this morning.
The award carries an amount of ₹ 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.
However, Congress leaders slammed the centre for awarding the prize to the publisher, and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh termed the decision a ‘travesty.’
Senior Congress leader Ramesh linked awarding the organisation to extending the award to VD Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi’s executioner Nathuram Godse who were both honoured. He also mentioned a 2015 book on Gita Press written by journalist Akshaya Mukul, which he claims exposes the publisher’s “stormy relations” with the Mahatma.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma lashed out in a highly-worded tweet at the Congress. He charged the party with “launching a war against India’s civilisational values and rich heritage.”
Other Bharatiya Janata Party politicians attacked Ramesh, branding the Congress party a “Hindu-hating party.” A spokeswoman further mocked Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray for allying with the grand old party despite allegations that it hates Hindus, Hindutva, and even Savarkar, whom Thackeray has referred to as his God.
