Ahmedabad: : Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who was born into a Bania family but famously stood up for the lower castes, has now finally decided to become an SC/ST himself.

Also, as he doesn’t have much to do at his Sabarmati Ashram anyway, he has decided to become a clerk with the State Bank of India. He has shot off an application from his Ashram for the SBI’s free coaching programme for candidates belonging to the SC/STs and minorities wishing to write its clerical recruitment test. Strangely, the SBI has also instructed him to present himself at the AG Teachers College in Navrangpura, for the required training.

An unknown applicant here has applied in the name of M K Gandhi. Incidentally, the emailed application, with the correct Sabarmati Ashram address, was accepted by the bank’s Central Recruitment and Promotion Department, which mailed the admission card and registration number to him at the Ashram address. The prank has certainly not amused Gandhians very much.

“This is terrible. People are using the Internet and new-fangled technologies to denigrate national leaders and symbols,” said Amrit Modi, Secretary of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust.