New Delhi, Jan 13: In an apparent attempt to play down the controversy surrounding the picture of Prime Minister Narinder Modi spinning the "charkha"  not Mahatma Gandhi on the 2017 calendar and diaries published by the Khadi Village Industries Commission, Union Minister Kalraj Mishra said that no person can replace Mahatma Gandhi.

Mishra said, “Gandhiji is the father of our nation & nobody can replace Gandhi ji. The new calendar triggered protests among a section of KVIC employees in Mumbai. They sought to know as to why the image of the father of the Nation was left out while featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The commission's calendars have always featured Mahatma Gandhi, who founded the Khadi movement in the 1920s, aiming to boycott foreign goods in a non-violent protest against the British.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said this was not unusual and there have been deviations in the past. The entire khadi industry is based on Gandhiji's philosophy, ideas and ideals, he is the soul of KVIC, so there is no question of ignoring him, Saxena said.

He added that Prime Minister Modi has been wearing khadi for a long time, and has made it popular among the masses; even among foreign dignitaries, while developing his own styles around khadi.