Removing Gandhiji's photo from KVIC calendar a sacrilegious sin: Congress

New Delhi: Terming the removal of the photograph of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi with the charkha in the wall calendar and table diary published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) a ‘sacrilegious sin’, the Congress today demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph be immediately removed from the calendar and dairy. Reacting to Mr Modi’s photograph replacing that of Mahatma Gandhi weaving khadi on a large ‘charkha' on the wall calendar and table diary published by the KVIC, AICC media incharge Randeep Surjewala said, ''Khadi and Gandhiji are symbols of our history, self-reliance and struggle.

Removing Gandhiji's photo is a sacrilegious sin. ''We demand that the Prime Minister apologise for this and Mahatma Gandhi’s photograph restored.'' The featuring of Mr Modi’s photograph weaving khadi on a large ‘charkha' on the wall calendar and table diary published by the KVIC has stirred a controversy with the Opposition parties terming it as an example of a systematic ‘easing out of Mahatma Gandhi's ideas, philosophy and ideals by the government’. The cover photo of the calendar and diary show Mr Modi weaving khadi on a large ‘charkha', in the same classic pose as Gandhiji.

With Gandhiji's historic picture weaving khadi on a simple charkha, wearing his trademark loin cloth, is legendary and imprinted in the minds of the masses since generations, the Aam Aadmi Party yesterday slammed the move as yet another example of the NDA government trying to obliterate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi. In a post on social networking site Twitter, Aam Aadmi party leader Ashutosh said,’’RSS has been trying to obliterate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi for the last 83 years. Let Mr Modi also make an attempt to do so. Bapu (Mahatmas Gandhi) lives in the hearts of people. A dictator cannot obliterate his memory.’’ In another tweet, Ashutosh said Mr Modi was trying to become ‘Bapu’. (UNI)