Gita Press on June 19 said that the decision of the jury of the Gandhi Peace Prize to confer the award to the publishers was a “matter of great honour” but specified that the organistation would not accept the cash component of the award keeping with its tradition of not receiving any kind of donation.
The trustee board of the Press met in Gorakhpur late on June 18 after the award was announced and decided not to receive the cash component of ₹1 crore. The publisher thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Culture Ministry for conferring the prestigious award on it. The recipients of the Gandhi Peace Prize get ₹1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and an exquisite traditional handicraft or handloom item.
“It is a matter of great honour for us. It is our principle not to accept any kind of donations, so the trustee board has decided not to take the award in any monetary form. However, we will certainly accept the award for the honour of it,” Gita Press manager Lalmani Tripathi said.
Also Read | Gita Press, Gorakhpur, awarded Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021
The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 will be conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur, in recognition of its “outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”, Union Culture Ministry had announced on Sunday, a decision taken by the jury headed by Prime Minister Modi.
The decision was not welcomed by all quarters however, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh terming it a “travesty” and it being like “awarding Savarkar and Godse”.
“The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 has been conferred on the Gita Press at Gorakhpur which is celebrating its centenary this year. There is a very fine biography from 2015 of this organisation by Akshaya Mukul in which he unearths the stormy relations it had with the Mahatma and the running battles it carried on with him on his political, religious & social agenda. The decision is really a travesty and is like awarding Savarkar and Godse,” Mr. Ramesh had said in a tweet.
The Congress’ criticism drew heavy fire from the BJP and the government with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda lauding the Gita Press for its “unmatched contribution to keeping alive and accessible India’s Sanatan culture” and holy books and scriptures.
“If India’s glorious ancient Sanatan culture and scriptures can be read easily today, it is due to Gita Press’s unmatched contribution. Conferring Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 on Gita Press is an honour of the work being done by it,” Mr. Shah said in a tweet.
Established in 1923, Gita Press is one of the world’s largest publishers, having published 41.7 crore books in 14 languages, including 16.21 crore Shrimad Bhagvad Gitas.
Taking to Twitter, Mr. Nadda congratulated the Gita Press, saying, “Your contribution for the last 100 years in the preservation and flourishing of India’s glorious Sanatan culture is commendable. The selfless service that you have done by taking our holy books across the globe is an inspiration for all of us.”
Speaking on the same issue, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said at a presser that “Gita Press is associated with the culture of India, associated with Hindu beliefs, producer of affordable literature and those levelling allegations against Gita Press were those who say that Muslim League was secular”.
“The Congress forgot that it was the Muslim League which gave the two-nation theory, got India partitioned and took credit for the creation of Pakistan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (CPI) MP in the Rajya Sabha, P. Sandosh Kumar, wrote to Mr. Modi strongly opposing the award jury’s decision, terming it an insult to the legacy of Gandhiji. “Since its inception in 1923, the Gita Press has been instrumental in spreading the ideology of militant Hindu nationalism. Through their books, magazines and other publications Gita Press openly criticised Mahatma Gandhi and his movement for social reformation and including the practice of untouchability. The Gita Press vehemently opposed and negated the Gandhian ideals of communal brotherhood and religious tolerance as well,” he said.
