NEW DELHI: A political storm erupted after the Gandhi peace prize was conferred upon publishing field luminary Gita Press of Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur. Gita Press is a famed name for publishing mostly revered Hindu scriptures and anything to everything that vocals for the Hindu religion.

Congress called the decision a “travesty” and juxtaposed the award as similar to felicitating Nathuram Godse with the Gandhi peace award. Congress also publicized a book penned by Akshaya Mukul that tells in detail the ideological difference that kept apart Gandhiji from the Gita press.

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

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has hit out at the Congress in a strongly worded tweet. He accused the party of "unleashing a war against India's civilizational values and rich legacy".

The jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after due deliberations on June 18, 2023, unanimously decided to select Gita Press.

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.

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 Mahatma Gandhi. The award carries an amount of Rs 1 crore, a citation, a plaque, and an exquisite traditional handicraft or a handloom item. However, not derailing from their tradition, Gita Press has refused the cash prize to upkeep their practiced probity of not collecting donations.

The prestigious award has also been awarded to luminaries like Nelson Mandela, and to organizations such as ISRO, Ramakrishna Mission, etc.