Amid political row, Gita Press declines Rs 1 crore cash award for Gandhi Peace Prize

The publisher expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Ministry of Culture for recognising Gita Press, which was established in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for its work advancing Sanatan Dharma.

In the midst of a political controversy over its nomination for the prestigious award, Gandhi Peace Prize, the Gita Press of Gorakhpur, the largest publisher of Hindu sacred books worldwide, on Monday denied the Rs 1 crore cash prize.

The trustee board of the press, which met in Gorakhpur, eastern Uttar Pradesh, late on Sunday after the award was announced, said on Monday that while it was an honour to receive the award for 2021, it would not accept the Rs 1 crore cash prize because it has a tradition of not accepting any kind of "donations" in keeping with its policy.

The publisher expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Ministry of Culture for recognising Gita Press, which was established in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for its work advancing Sanatan Dharma.

"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," Gita Press manager Lalmani Tripathi told reporters in Gorakhpur.

Angry at the Congress over its criticism of Gita Press' selection for the Gandhi Peace Prize, Union Minister Jitendra Singh claimed that only those who believe the Muslim League to be a secular organisation have a problem with the choice.

“Gita Press is associated with India's culture, our ethos and Hindu belief, and it produces affordable literature which reaches every household," Singh said replying to questions at a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.

Jairam Ramesh, the general secretary in charge of communications for the Congress, claimed on Sunday that the Gandhi Peace Prize's selection of Gita Press is "really a travesty" and "it's like awarding Savarkar and Godse." Ramesh was alluding to Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, and Hindutva propagandist VD Savarkar.

Asked about Ramesh's remark, Singh said, “And, who are those levelling allegations? They are those who say that Muslim League was secular.” The Congress forgot that it was the Muslim League “which gave two nation theory, got India partitioned and took credit for the creation of Pakistan,” the senior BJP leader said.

“I think getting into these kinds of debates is a sheer waste of energy."

Singh was alluding to Rahul Gandhi's assertion that the Muslim League is a wholly secular party with nothing anti-secular about it during the Congressman's recent US tour. Rahul Gandhi was responding to a query regarding the affiliation between his party and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).

Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, praised the Gita Press and stated that they has been doing an excellent job of bringing various sacred books to the general public.

The Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021 will be conferred on the Gita Press, Gorakhpur in recognition of its "outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods", according to an official statement issued on Sunday.

The jury, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unanimously decided to select the Gita Press as the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize, the statement said.

"If India's glorious ancient Sanatan culture and base texts can be read easily today, the Gita Press has an incomparable contribution in this. For more than 100 years, the Gita Press has been doing a wonderful job of selflessly taking many holy books from Ramcharit Manas to Shrimad Bhagwad Gita to the masses," Shah said in a tweet in Hindi.

J P Nadda, the president of the BJP, hailed Gita Press and praised it for its 100 years of efforts to uphold and advance India's "Sanatan culture."

“Your contribution for the last 100 years in the preservation and flourishing of India's glorious Sanatan culture is commendable,” he said in a tweet.

“The selfless service that you have done by taking our holy books across the globe is an inspiration for all of us." 

The grand-old party has "insulted" Indian spiritual literatures and the nation with its "cheap" response to the situation, according to the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), which denounced the criticism of the Congress. “What a cheap statement that this honour is like awarding Savarkar and Godse,” VHP working president Alok Kumar charged.

Ramesh's reference to Godse in his response, according to Alok Kumar, "tantamount to insulting the entire Indian spiritual literature," and he called the Congress' comments "disappointing and insulting" to the nation.

In 1995, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth and in honour of the ideas he upheld, the government established the Gandhi Peace Prize, an annual honour.

Everyone is eligible for the award, regardless of their gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, caste, or faith. It comes with a monetary prize of Rs 1 crore, a certificate, a plaque, and a priceless traditional handcraft or item made of handloom.