Anil Vij
Anil Vij [Right]Official Twitter Handle of Anil Vij

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Haryana's cabinet minister Anil Vij on Saturday said that the idea to replace Mahatma Gandhi with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Khadi Udyog calendar was a good one since PM Modi is a bigger brand name than Gandhi.

He also feels it's high time that Gandhi's photo on the currency notes is gradually removed. Vij says that the Khadi industry has also been sinking since Gandhi's name was associated with it.

"After Modi's association with khadi, there has been 14 percent increase in sale of the products. Khadi is not patented in the name of Mahatma Gandhi. The name of Mahatma Gandhi led to fall in sale of khadi products. Same happened with rupee. The day Mahatma Gandhi came on the rupee, its devaluation started. Gradually, he will be removed from the notes also," Vij said.

However, Vij has taken back his statements saying: "The comment I made on Mahatma Gandhi is my personal opinion, to avoid hurting anyone's sentiments I take it back."

In response to Vij's statements, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said: "It is his personal opinion and has nothing to do with the party."

Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson Tushar Gandhi also responded to the statement and told ANI: "The way corrupt politicians use money for ill-practices, it'll be good if Bapu is removed from notes."

Gandhi on Thursday was surprisingly replaced with PM Modi on the covers of the Khadi Village and Industries Commission 2017 wall calendars and table diaries. IANS reported that several employees were shocked to see PM Modi replacing Gandhi on the iconic charkha pose as the Father of the Nation.

Many employees silently protested against the replacement at the Vile Parle headquarters during lunch on Thursday. They prayed to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and protested by wearing black bands over their mouths. Tushar Gandhi told the agency that the charkha on the KVIC calendar and diary was just another prop and a planned strategy to gain credibility.

KVIC Chairman Vinay Saxena told reporters that the move wasn't unusual as there have been deviations in the past and that Mahatma Gandhi was not being ignored since the khadi industry is based on his philosophy.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) also said that "there is no rule in KVIC that its diary and calendar should have only Gandhiji's photo" and described the controversy as "unnecessary."

Sources from the PMO were quoted by India Today as saying: "In the calendars and diaries of 1996, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, there was no picture of Gandhi. So, there is no question of Modi replacing Gandhiji's picture. During Congress rule of 50 years, the sale of khadi remained restricted to two percent to seven percent, but in last two years, the sale has seen an unprecedented jump of 34 percent. This is because of PM's efforts to popularise khadi."

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