Even as Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on Friday stated there is “no rule or tradition” that only Mahatma Gandhi's picture can be published on diaries and calendars by the organisation, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the latter was trying to take credit for the promotion of khadi and village industries, an idea which had been close to the heart of the Father of the Nation.
While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too expressed her dissatisfaction asking the Mahtama was the Father of the Nation but who is ModiIJ The Aam Aadmi Party said it “won't be surprising” if Mahatma Gandhi's image is replaced by that of Narendra Modi “on currency notes”.
Defending the move of KVIC to publish Modi's photo on its 2017 calendar and table diary, KVIC chairman VK Saxena said there is “no rule or tradition” that only Mahatma Gandhi's picture can be published on these items.
The explanation came amid protests from various sections of society especially Gandhians and from opposition political parties, who alleged that KVIC is trying to “replace” Mahatma Gandhi with Modi through such acts. Controversy erupted when KVIC published their calendar and diary with a photo of Modi weaving khadi on a charkha (spinning wheel).
Refuting such allegations, Saxena claimed the Prime Minister’s appeal actually helped in boosting the sale of Khadi and eventually helped lakhs of Khadi weavers. According to Saxena, sale of Khadi has increased many-fold after Modi appealed the citizens to embrace Khadi.
“His (Gandhiji's) photo was not there in 2002, 2005, 2011, 2013 and 2016,” the KVIC chairman said. KVIC is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament. Saxena was appointed as Chairman of KVIC in October 2015 by the Centre. He also said the cover photo of the Prime Minister is also “relevant to the core values” of KVIC.
When India had became the first country in the world to land its spacecraft Mangalayaan on the Mars in its first attempt, Rahul Gandhi had alleged that Modi tried to take the credit for it when all the work on the ambitious project was initiated by his predecessor Manmohan Singh.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attacked the Prime Minister saying, “It takes sacrifices of several lifetimes to become a Gandhi. You don't become Gandhi by acting to spin the wheel, you may become a subject of ridicule.”
Employees and officials of KVIC have also opposed the move to exclude the image of Mahatma Gandhi from the cover of its 2017 wall calendar and diary.