This Article is From Jan 14, 2017

Remarks By Anil Vij Against Mahatma Gandhi His Personal Views: BJP

Remarks By Anil Vij Against Mahatma Gandhi His Personal Views: BJP

BJP's Anil Vij said Mahatma Gandhi's image did not help Khadi's image.

New Delhi: The BJP has condemned Haryana minister and senior party leader Anil Vij for his remarks which were critical of Mahatma Gandhi and said these were his personal views.

"The party does not associate itself with his remarks. These are his personal comments. We condemn them," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

He claimed that Mr Vij has withdrawn his remarks.

Mahatma Gandhi, he said, is an icon for the BJP and the country as such and his values are held in highest esteem by the party.

He also hit out at the Congress over its attack on the BJP, saying it has no moral right to speak about the father of the nation as it only "misused" his name and photograph all these years while the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "promoted" his philosophies of Khadi and swachhta.

Mr Vij today made controversial remarks that Mahatma Gandhi's image did not help Khadi and caused devaluation of the currency, sparking widespread outrage.

The senior BJP leader in Haryana, who is not a stranger to controversies, said it was good that Gandhi's image has been replaced with that of the Prime Minister in the calendar and diary of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) as PM Modi is a "better brand" and went on to add that Mahatma Gandhi's image would be removed gradually from the currency notes too.

"Ever since Mahatma Gandhi's name has been associated with Khadi, Khadi has not been able to make any progress. The sale of Khadi products went down... Removing Gandhi and placing Modi's photo (on the khadi calendar) is a good step. Modi is a much better brand name. Since Modi's photo (on the khadi calendar) the sale of khadi products has gone up by 14 per cent," Mr Vij had said.

After outrage, he withdrew his comments.
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