Sabarmati Ashram Secretary and 'quintessential Gandhian' Amrut 'Dada' resigns after 43 years

Amrutbhai Modi, 90 years old, has also accepted Rs 60 lakh compensation for the house he was occupying as a secretary, which actually belongs to the ashram trust. This has raised eyebrows over the state government's compensation policy for acquiring land for the redevelopment of Gandhi's ashram.

Ahmedabad: The quintessential Gandhian, 90-year-old Amrutbhai Modi, has resigned from the Sabarmati Ashram, founded by Mahatma Gandhi, after serving as its secretary for a record 43 years. A trust official said that Modi, better known as Dada, resigned due to his advanced age and ill-health.

Modi joined the Ashram, managed by Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT), back in 1974 and was appointed its secretary in 1980. Always spotted in simple iconic khadi clothes, the nonagenarian was the face of the Ashram and a walking encyclopedia on the Ashram's history for curious visitors.

"I resigned on November 15 due to my health issues. I want to rest now as I am 90 years old already," Modi told DH. SAPMT director Atul Pandya told DH that the resignation has been accepted as "Amrutbhai had communicated his decision long ago. We are trying to figure out a way to keep him associated with the ashram."

Modi has been vocal in stating that Sabarmati Ashram is not a "tourist attraction" but a simple, peaceful place of spirituality. In several interviews with DH, he mentioned that over the past decade, government interference increased in the way red carpets were being laid out for visitors, which was against its ethos.

When the state government decided to go ahead with a Rs 1,200 crore redevelopment plan and started compensating the residents for acquiring land, Modi criticised the government for "buying out residential properties from the possession of tenants to get the land vacated."

"What is the aim behind this? We are not able to understand why the government is buying houses from the possession of tenants to get the properties vacated. It is important to note that no one has any personal or individual ownership of the land. There are people like me who have been living here for the past 20-30 years. My house belongs to the trust, only which can decide what it wants to do with it," Modi had told DH in an interview on July 8, 2021.

Recently, Modi accepted Rs 60 lakh compensation from the state government for the house he was occupying. The house belongs to SAPMT. When DH asked Modi, he said, "The government gave (compensation) to everyone even though all the houses belong to different trusts. I have nothing else to say."

An SAPMT official told DH, "He told us orally that he accepted the compensation. The trust has nothing to do with it." When asked if the house belonged to the trust, he added, "The employees of all trusts have been given compensation for the houses they were occupying. You name anyone."

There are six trusts managing the Sabarmati Ashram and associated properties, including SAPMT, Sabarmati Harijan Ashram Trust, Harijan Ashram Trust, Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala, Khadi Gramodyog Prayog Samiti, and Gujarat Khadi Gramodyog Mandal. After Independence, the properties of Sabarmati Ashram were divided among these six trusts. SAPMT manages the popular Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhi lived.

The state government wants to merge the properties of these trusts to form a larger ashram. For this purpose, the government is acquiring lands from residents who have been living here as tenants for an extended period. In this exercise, several employees of these trusts have also received compensation. The government has offered Rs60 lakh cash in lieu of one house or a new flat.

A public interest litigation (PIL) in the Gujarat High Court has alleged that the government disbursed about Rs 250 crore to over 30 families who had encroached upon the land belonging to the trusts. These families are reportedly not the legal heirs yet they were compensated. Some of them are activists.

The PIL has alleged that Manav Sadhna Trust, run by Jayesh Patel, son-in-law of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, received Rs 45 crore from the government for vacating its office. The court has asked the petitioner to submit complete information about these allegations. The PIL is pending for hearing. On the other hand, the state government has also set up a special investigation team to investigate Jayesh Patel for alleged illegal land deals.