Gita Press Conferred Gandhi Peace Prize, Congress Calls it ‘Travesty’

Gita Press, a century-old publishing house whose founder Jaydayal Goyandka and its magazine Kalyan’s founder-editor Hanuman Prasad Poddar were among the 25,000 people arrested after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in 1948, has been conferred the Gandhi Peace Prize for 2021.

In a media release on Sunday, the Union culture ministry said that the “jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had selected Gorakhpur-based Gita Press for the award “in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods”.

“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 Gita. The institution has never relied on advertisement in its publications for revenue generation. Gita Press, along with its affiliated organisations, strives for the betterment of life and the well-being of all,” the citation read. 

Praising Gita Press for its “commendable work over the last 100 years”, Modi tweeted that it has played a big role in “furthering social and cultural transformations among the people”.

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. @GitaPress https://t.co/B9DmkE9AvS

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 18, 2023

Uttar Pradesh chief minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath congratulated Gita Press, the “most important centre of religious literature of Sanatan Dharma of India:.

भारत के सनातन धर्म के धार्मिक साहित्य का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण केंद्र, गोरखपुर स्थित गीता प्रेस को वर्ष 2021 का 'गांधी शांति पुरस्कार' प्राप्त होने पर हृदय से बधाई।

स्थापना के 100 वर्ष पूर्ण होने पर मिला यह पुरस्कार गीता प्रेस के धार्मिक साहित्य को एक नई उड़ान देगा।

इसके लिए आदरणीय…

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) June 18, 2023

The annual award, instituted by the government in 1995 Gandhi’s 125th birth anniversary as a tribute to his ideals, carries a cash prize of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque and an exquisite traditional handicraft/handloom item.

The award, which is open to all persons regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or gender, had been conferred on ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, late Nelson Mandela, Baba Amte and archbishop Desmond Tutu and others.

The Modi government had also conferred the award on RSS-linked Vivekananda Kendra and Ekal Abhiyan Trust in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

Ironically, Gandhi developed differences with Goyandka and Poddar on the untouchability of Dalits after being close to the two, The Telegraph reported.

In his book, Gita Press and the Making of Hindu India, Akshaya Mukul writes: “In 1926, when Poddar went with Jamnalal Bajaj to Gandhi to seek his blessings for Kalyan, he was given two pieces of advice by the Mahatma: do not accept advertisements and never carry book reviews.”

Poddar accepted the advice, Mukul writes, and “even today Kalyan and Kalyana Kalpataru do not carry advertisements or book reviews”.

The relationship between Gita Press and Gandhi “grew tempestuous after a series of deep disagreements on caste and communal issues, such as temple entry for Harijans and the Poona Pact…. Gandhi’s best efforts to change Poddar’s views on untouchability failed. Poddar’s diatribe against Gandhi continued in the pages of Kalyan till 1948”, Mukul further writes.

After Goyandka and Poddar were arrested in 1948, “(Industrialist and patron) G.D. Birla refused to help the two, and even protested when Sir Badridas Goenka took up their case. For Birla, the two were not propagating sanatan dharma but shaitan (evil) dharma…. Gita Press maintained a studied silence on the Mahatma’s assassination,” according to Mukul.

“The man whose blessing and writings were once so important for Kalyan did not find a single mention in its pages until April 1948 when Poddar wrote about his various encounters with Gandhi.”

The book’s epilogue reads: “Not only has it played a pivotal role in ‘popular efforts to proclaim Hindu solidarity (sangathan), pious self-identity and normative cultural values’, as a player in the theatre of Hindu nationalism it has also stood side by side with the majoritarian narrative of the RSS, Hindu Mahasabha, Jana Sangh and BJP at every critical juncture since 1923. And in times of intense communal division, Kalyan has exchanged the sobriety of a religious journal for the language of hate and religious identity.”

The announcement triggered a war of words between the government and the Opposition, especially the Congress, which had honoured Poddar with a postage stamp released by the PV Narasimha Rao government in 1992.

Calling the decision a “travesty”, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it is “like awarding [Hindi ideologue VD] Savarkar and [Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram] 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,” he tweeted.

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

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 18, 2023

RJD Rajya Sabha member and spokesperson Manoj Jha said the government is “fundamentally anti-Gandhi”.

VIDEO | "Don't expect things which this government does not. They are fundamentally anti-Gandhi," RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha attacks Centre for conferring Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 to Gita Press. pic.twitter.com/8ZcsJvuIGN

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 19, 2023

The BJP shot back with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma accusing the Congress of “unleashing a war against India’s civilisational values and rich legacy”.

With the win in Karnataka, Congress has now openly unleashed a war against India's civilisational values and rich legacy, be it in the form of repeal of anti-conversion law or criticism against Geeta Press.people of India will resist this aggression and reassert our…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 19, 2023

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted: “Congress has sheer hatred for anything Hindu. From Hindu terror to opposing Ram Mandir to Bhagwa terror to blaming Hindus for 26/11 & now attacking Gita Press. Congress = Hindu hating party! They wanted to ensure Ram Mandir is never built.”

Congress has sheer hatred for anything Hindu
From Hindu terror to opposing Ram Mandir to Bhagwa terror to blaming Hindus for 26/11 & now attacking Gita Press

Congress = Hindu hating party! They wanted to ensure Ram Mandir is never built

Does Uddhav Sena agree with their… pic.twitter.com/f1CKXzSe6R

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) June 19, 2023

In another tweet he said: “Congress hates Gita Press because it spreads the real message of Sanatan & Hinduism to every nook and corner. Congress finds Muslim league as secular but Gita Press communal.”