Great Soul

A book on Mahatma Gandhi has been banned by the government in his native state of Gujarat.

The book by Joseph Lelyveld contains evidence that India's independence hero had a homosexual relationship. Early reviews in the US and UK suggest that Gandhi was depicted as sometimes racist and that he had an intimate relationship with a German man named Hermann Kallenbach.

Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that its contents were perverse and defamed the icon of non-violence . Modi accused the author of displaying a perverted mentality in writing the book, which he said had hurt the sentiments of masses of people: This publication defames the Mahatma and there is rising anger not only in Gujarat but in the entire country.

Gujarat's state assembly voted unanimously  to ban Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India , even though it has not yet been released in India.

Lelyveld has denied writing that Gandhi was a bisexual, saying his work had been taken out of context.

Even as the Gujarat government banned the book on Mahatma Gandhi by Joseph Lelyveld that has run into controversy for references suggesting he was a bisexual and a racist, the Centre is now mulling a law that would make showing any disrespect to the Father of the Nation an offence punishable with a jail term.

Sources in the Law Ministry said the ministry had been asked to suggest amendment to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, so as to make any action or gesture that shows disrespect to Gandhi an offence at par with an offence against the National Flag or the Constitution.