Was kept in dark, says Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, part of jury for Gandhi Peace Prize

NEW DELHI: In a dramatic twist to the controversy over the Gorakhpur-based Gita Press being awarded the Gandhi Peace Prize, leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Choudhury on Tuesday claimed that he was part of the Prime Minister-led jury that decided the award, but was "kept in the dark about the decision", and was not invited to attend the June 18 meeting.
The recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize, an award that was instituted by the government in 1995, is selected by a five-member jury headed by the Prime Minister, with the Chief Justice of India, the leader of the opposition, and two eminent persons as the other members.
"As a member of the jury, the government should have accorded me the courtesy of an invite to the meeting of the jury. But when the PM is preaching to everyone about India being the mother of democracy, let the world see how the leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha is being treated. I received absolutely no intimation about the meeting and learnt of the award from the news reports," Chowdhury told TOI.
Though culture ministry sources said they had invited Chowdhury to attend and that repeated reminders to his office remained unanswered, the senior Congress leader said the claim was an "unmitigated falsehood".
Asked if he will oppose the jury's decision, Chowdhury said, "Why should I enlighten the 'Vishwaguru'?"