 "Modi, Narendra Modi")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday claimed that the world did not know independence activist Mahatma Gandhi until Richard Attenborough's 1982 movie titled 'Gandhi' was made. Modi criticised the previous Congress-led governments for "not promoting" Mahatma Gandhi the way he deserved.
In an interview with television news channel ABP News, Modi rhetorically questioned whether it was not the country's job to secure Gandhi's high global reputation in the last 75 years.
"Mahatma Gandhi was a great soul. Wasn't it our responsibility to get him that level of global recognition during the last 75 years? Nobody knew, please excuse me on this. The first time, when the Gandhi film was made (1982), the world got curious about who he might be. We didn't do the needful…If the world knew Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi was no less than them and you have to accept that. I am saying this after travelling the world that Gandhi and through him, India should have been recognised…," he said in response to a question about the Opposition's understanding of India's culture and values.
Influential political leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly called Mahatma Gandhi, is famous in history as a symbol of peace and non-violence. He is among the most prominent figures to have led India's independence movement.
Notably, Gandhi was nominated five times for the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize between 1937 and 1948 but never received one. Born on October 2, 1869, in Gujarat's Porbandar, Gandhi is widely recognised as the "father of the nation."
In 2007, the United Nations declared Gandhi's birthday, October 2, as the 'International Day of Non-Violence.' Gandhi has been featuring on the Indian currency regularly since 1969. As a tribute to him, the Centre also awards the annual Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize to distinguished social workers, world leaders and citizens.
