Bush's Rajghat visit draws fire

President George W Bush's plan to lay a wreath in honour of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, New Delhi, during his visit to India this week has come under fire from Peace Action, the country's largest peace and disarmament organization with over 90,000 members nationwide.

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'Mahatma Gandhi was a man of non-violence and peace, and is a hero to people all over the world. As his war-strewn presidency shows, George Bush knows nothing about non-violence,'

said Kevin Martin, executive director, Peace Action.

'Gandhi would in no way condone his actions. Bush should reconsider this cynical, disrespectful display of symbolism,' Martin said in a statement from Silver Spring, Maryland, the group's headquarters.

'Does Bush think Gandhi would bless one of the main purposes of this trip -- to promote nuclear aid to India?' asked Martin. 'Gandhi abhorred nuclear weapons and would surely call for the US and India to pursue the abolition of nuclear weapons.'