Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on June 20 hit out at the Congress, saying its opposition to the Gita Press being named for the Gandhi Peace Prize was an "insult to our culture, traditions, life values and religion."
Congress general secretary-in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh on June 18 alleged that the decision to honour Gita Press with the Gandhi Peace Prize is "really a travesty" and "it's like awarding Savarkar and Godse”. Ramesh was referring to Hindutva ideologue V.D. Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse.
The Gorakhpur-based Gita Press, which is the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts, has declined the ₹1 crore cash award for the Gandhi Peace Prize amid a political row over its selection for the prestigious honour.
Asked about the Congress's reaction, Mr. Chouhan told reporters, “Since childhood, I have read spiritual literature of the Gita Press. This inspired us towards spirituality. I have great respect for the Gita Press." "If there was no Gita Press, many religious texts would not have reached the public. Opposing the respect given to the Gita Press is an insult to our culture, traditions, life values and our religion, the public will not tolerate this,” the CM said.
Madhya Pradesh's Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the Gita Press has been printing religious texts since the time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not exist.
The BJP leader termed the Congress's reaction as "politics of appeasement". Union Minister Jitendra Singh had also hit out at the Congress for its criticism of the Gita Press being named for the Gandhi Peace Prize, saying nobody has any objection to its selection except those who consider Muslim League a secular organisation.
The trustee board of the Gita Press, which met in Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh late on June 18 after the award was announced, said on June 19 it was a matter of great honour to be conferred the award for 2021, but would not accept the ₹1 crore cash component that comes with the prize keeping with its tradition of not receiving any kind of "donations".
The publisher thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Culture Ministry for conferring the award on the Gita Press that was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Sanatan Dharma.
