At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP are aggressively staking claim to the legacy of M.K. Gandhi, the Congress will, on Wednesday, organise functions, including padayatras, across the country, to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the father of the nation.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will be present at the function to be organised in Delhi. While Sonia is not expected to participate in the padayatra, which will begin from the state unit headquarters and culminate at Gandhi Samadhi, Rajghat, she will administer an oath to party workers at M.K. Gandhi's final resting place.
In Lucknow, a padayatra will be organised, starting from Shahid Smarak and ending at Hazratganj GPO. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary in-charge of party affairs in eastern Uttar Pradesh, will attend the event.
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The padayatra in Champaran, Bihar, has been postponed due to floods.
The decision to hold large-scale padayatras all over the country was taken at a meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi last month. She had spoken about the need to educate people about M.K. Gandhi, and the ideas of freedom, Swaraj, nationalism and secularism. The PCCs were asked to organise programmes down to the district and block levels.
Sonia Gandhi had, in her opening remarks at the meeting, said, “The country is looking to us to confront and combat these forces – forces that appropriate Gandhiji, Sardar Patel, Dr B.R. Ambedkar and misrepresent their true message for their nefarious ends. We must stand up fearlessly to fight on the streets, fight in the villages, towns and cities.”
The party is slated to hold a week-long programme to mark the occasion, and the state units have been directed to organise functions, starting with the padayatra. Party members have been urged by the leadership to wear caps with M.K. Gandhi's image during the march.