'Like Awarding Savarkar, Godse': Cong On Centre Giving Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 To Gita Press

Congress has criticised the Centre for announcing the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to publisher Gita Press from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh called the move a "travesty" and shared the cover page of a 2015 book on Gita Press authored by journalist Akshaya Mukul.

"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," he said on Twitter.

The Centre on Sunday announced that Gita Press will be conferred with the award which carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the publisher has done "commendable work" over the last 100 years.

"I congratulate Gita Press, Gorakhpur on being conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021. They have done commendable work over the last 100 years towards furthering social and cultural transformations among the people," the PM tweeted.

The Jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after due deliberations on 18th June, unanimously decided to select Gita Press, Gorakhpur as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021, in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods, the statement from the government said.

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 Bhagavad Gita. "The institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications, for revenue generation. Gita Press along with its affiliated organizations, strives for the betterment of life and the well-being of all," the statement said.

The past awardees include organizations such as ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, Akshaya Patra, Bengaluru, Ekal Abhiyan Trust, India and Sulabh International, New Delhi.