‘Mahatma Gandhi belongs to all’, why did the Gujarat government say this in the High Court

Gujarat Government: The Gujarat government on Wednesday said Mahatma Gandhi belongs to all and raised questions in the High Court on the position of his great-grandson Tushar Gandhi, who challenged the Sabarmati Ashram redevelopment project. Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Tushar Gandhi, told a division bench of Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri that Mahatma Gandhi is the father of the nation of 140 crore people. The matter will be heard again on Thursday.

Tushar Gandhi has challenged the proposed Sabarmati Ashram redevelopment project – Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Complex Development Project – and urged the High Court to allow redevelopment work under the aegis of the ‘National Gandhi Memorial Fund’ (NGSN).

Mahatma Gandhi is the father of nation of 140 crore people of the country
Trivedi said, ‘We are talking about the Father of the Nation. He is the ‘Father of the Nation’ of 140 crore people of this country. I have respect for the petitioner who says that he is (Mahatma Gandhi’s) great-grandson. Yes, but Mahatma ji belongs to everyone. He (petitioner) does not have any special rights. He said that the state government has taken a policy decision to finance the project and the Center has approved the release of Rs 1,246 crore.

What should be the basis of judicial review?
“What should be the basis of judicial review, where the central government has taken a policy decision to give Rs 1,246 crore for this particular project? Should this particular decision be challenged? The Advocate General said that the petitioners want the development to be done under the aegis of trusts – Rashtriya Gandhi Memorial Fund and Harijan Sevak Sangh, which are not stakeholders. The respondents- Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT) and Khadi Gramodyog Prayog Samiti have also opposed the Public Interest Litigation (PIL).

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