Gita Press row: Union minister Reddy refutes Cong leader Chowdhury's claims

However, the MinOfCultureGoI didnt receive any written communication from the office of LoP, he said.Reddy also said that on June 16, as no confirmation was received, the joint secretary concerned from the ministry had spoken to the PS to LoP reminding him about the jury meeting and enquiring about Chowdhurys participation.

Accusing Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of ''peddling lies'', Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday refuted his claims that he was not informed about the decision to award the Gandhi Peace Prize to Gita Press by the selection panel of which he is a member.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, Reddy said the information about the jury meeting was conveyed to Chowdhury multiple times by the Ministry of Culture and his personal secretary had confirmed receiving it.

He also said that traditionally the Leader of Opposition always participated in the Gandhi Peace Prize jury meetings, regardless of which party was in power. ''It's disheartening that Sh @adhirrcinc missed the last 2 meetings, especially in a democracy like India.

''This disregard for our culture & history is concerning. Sh@adhirrcinc, since his appointment, has been absent for the last 2 #GandhiPeacePrize jury meetings, despite multiple communications. ''The LoP & @INCIndia are peddling lies to undermine those who are engaged in upholding & propagating Bharat's millennia-old culture & tradition,'' the minister alleged.

Reddy further said that it was disappointing to see someone with the stature of the LoP ''stoop this low to further his political agenda and lie about such incidents''.

Earlier, Chowdhury had claimed that he has been kept in the dark about the meeting of the jury and its decision.

Reddy countered that on June 8, an official invitation along with all relevant documents was sent by the ministry to all four jury members. In the case of Chowdhury, he said that the intimation letter was addressed to Pradipto Rajpandit, the LoP's private secretary, and was received at the Congress leader's residence.

''On 9th June, 2 calls were made by the concerned Deputy Secretary from @MinOfCultureGoI to PS to LoP during which it was confirmed that the invitation was received. ''However, he informed that Shri @adhirrcinc will be unavailable for the jury meeting due to prior commitments,'' he said, posting screenshots of the calls made to Chowdhury's PS.

Further, the Union minister alleged that on June 14, the deputy secretary had again called the PS to LoP seeking a written confirmation on Chowdhury's availability/unavailability for the jury meeting. ''However, the @MinOfCultureGoI didn't receive any written communication from the office of LoP,'' he said.

Reddy also said that on June 16, as no confirmation was received, the joint secretary concerned from the ministry had spoken to the PS to LoP reminding him about the jury meeting and enquiring about Chowdhury's participation. ''It was confirmed that the LoP was informed & is aware of the meeting,'' he said. He further said that for the last Gandhi Peace Prize jury meeting held on 19th March 2021, Chowdhury's office was sent a video call link at his request.

''But the LoP had chosen not to attend the meeting on that occasion too,'' he said.

The Centre on Sunday awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize 2021 to Gita Press – the world’s largest publisher of Hindu religious texts.

A jury headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi selected Gita Press, Gorakhpur, for the peace prize after deliberations on Sunday, ''in recognition of its outstanding contribution towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violent and other Gandhian methods'', the government had said in a statement.

The Congress has hit out at the government saying that it is a ''travesty'', and likened it to awarding Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.