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Gandhi@150: Rahul leads Congress march to Rajghat
New Delhi
New Delhi
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday led a march from the Delhi Congress headquarters on Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg to Rajghat to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Nearly 2,000 Congress workers and supporters gathered outside the party’s state unit office wearing white kurtas and T-shirts with Mahatma Gandhi’s messages. The ‘Gandhi Sandesh Yatra’ also saw a tableau with his trademark ‘charkha’, symbolising his simple life and his fight against the British rule in India.
“In the present circumstances, we need to remember the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi the most,” Rahul said as he began the march.
Around 10.30am, Rahul began the march with supporters walking to the tune of ‘vaishnava jana to’. A row of youngsters were seen dressed as Gandhi, following the tableau.
“Mahatma Gandhi amar rahein,” echoed throughout the 2.5-kilometre march.
At Rajghat, thousands of Congress workers took an oath in the presence of the party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi to follow the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Manohar Lal, a resident of northeast Delhi’s Seelampur, had come with her five-year-old son dressed as Gandhi. He said that as a father, he considered it his duty to teach his son the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi and the sacrifices he made for the country.
“Children these days are much more exposed to violence and hatred. There is a greater consciousness of one’s religion, background and identity being instilled among children, which is dangerous. This is not the idea of India Gandhiji had when he fought to gain independence,” Lal said.
Another Congress supporter, Amit Khuranna, a resident of east Delhi’s Patparganj, alleged that the BJP is cashing in on Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and playing divisive politics.
“Congress is in a weak position today but we will rise again because this party believes in perseverance. Gandhiji’s life shows us patience can get the most suppressive forces to bow down before you,” Khuranna said.
