BJP samples Gandhi spectacles, "world class" Mahatma Mandir to say, Modi is best follower of Gandhi thought

By A Representative
In an unusual defence of the Khadi Village and Industries Commission (KVIC) – better known as Khadi Gramodyog – “deleting” Mahatma Gandhi on the KVIC's 2017 calender, printing instead the photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP has said that Modi alone has “followed” the Mahatma as no one else, “whether it is Gandhi's spectacles or thoughts.”
Issued by the Gujarat BJP, known to be more “Modi”-fied than any state unit of India, a statement signed by its spokesperson Bharat Pandya, said, BJP under Modi has been a “bigger follower" of the Mahatma than Congress, adding, this can be seen from what Modi as chief minister did in Gujarat.
Rolling out one example after another of Modi "following" Gandhian ideology, BJP said, “When Modi was Gujarat chief minister, he would inspire party cadres and people to buy khadi clothes on October 2."
Referring to the high-profile convention hall, being mainly used for the Vibrant Gujarat world business summits, as yet another sample of Modi following Gandhian ideology, BJP said, "It is under him along that the world-class Mahatma Mandir was constructed in Gandhinagar.”
Modi's defence comes amidst KVIC employees have protested, reportedly demanded reprinting the calendar, with critics throwing open questions like: Is Gandhi old and irrelevant? Is Modi the new father of the nation? And, how could the poster boy of the very ideology which killed Gandhi replace Gandhi?
While the Congress and other parties have already protested against the KVIC replacing Gandhi with Modi on calender, a top site run by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has called the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) Modi the theme of Government of India’s official calendar for 2017 “an unprecedented display of hero worship and sycophancy”.
It insists, “As if that was not enough, Modi has also thrown the Gandhi out of the khadi, with KVIC replacing Modi “in the iconic charkha photo that had represented the values and ideals behind brand khadi, one of the largest rural arts, crafts and textile industry in India for over seven decades.”
Rolling out more samples of the Prime Minister following Gandhi's thoughts, BJP said, “Modi alone put in motion 'live' demonstration of Gandhiji's historic saga of life. Further: “Modi got a massive Gandhi charkha on display both at the Delhi airport and at the Vibrant seminars.”
The party further said, “After he became Prime Minister, Modi used Gandhian ideology for his Swacch Bharat (Clean India) campaign, even as providing a symbolic significance to the Mahatma's spectacles. To spread Gandhian ideology, Modi intensively propagated Gandhi charkha and spectacles.”
Saying that things would not have turned “so controversial” if the calender had the photograph of Prime Minister or President of some other country, or of film actor or some other VVIP, BJP said, “The controversy has been created by the Congress only because it was Modi's photograph on the KVIC calender.”
The BJP's justification has come following the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) being anonymously quoted that the controversy is "baseless and unnecessary". Quoting “PMO sources”, a report said, “In 1996,2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016 Mahatma Gandhi photograph was not there on calendar"
The PMO was further quoted as saying that “there is no rule in that only Mahatma Gandhi's photo must be printed on the calendar," even as justifying the Modi photograph saying, "Modi is a youth icon and he is the reason behind the increasing popularity of khadi products among the youths."

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog