Gita Press Awarded Gandhi Peace Prize. Congress Says "Like Rewarding..."

"Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 recognizes the important and unparalleled contribution of Gita Press in contributing to collective upliftment of humanity, which personifies Gandhian living in true sense," a government release said.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh today slammed the Centre for awarding The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 to publisher Gita Press from Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur. Calling the decision, taken by a jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a "travesty", the Congress MP likened it to awarding Hindutva idologue VD Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathuram Godse. He also referred to a 2015 book on Gita Press authored by journalist Akshaya Mukul, claiming it he unearths the "stormy relations" the publisher had with the Mahatma. 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… pic.twitter.com/PqoOXa90e6 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. @GitaPresshttps://t.co/B9DmkE9AvS Congress has sheer hatred for anything HinduFrom Hindu terror to opposing Ram Mandir to Bhagwa terror to blaming Hindus for 26/11 & now attacking Gita PressCongress = Hindu hating party! They wanted to ensure Ram Mandir is never builtDoes Uddhav Sena agree with their… pic.twitter.com/f1CKXzSe6R

Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by the Government of India in 1995, on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, as a tribute to the ideals espoused by him. Gita Press is celebrating its centenary this year.

PM Modi said the publisher, one of the world's largest, has done "commendable work" over the last 100 years.