Congress plans to counter BJP, AAP over Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat

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Published : Apr 7, 2022, 10:27 PM IST

Congress plans to counter BJP, AAP over Gandhi in Gujarat

Concerned over the BJP and AAP trying to appropriate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat, the Congress is making its own efforts to counter them ahead of the assembly polls this year. Finds out ETV Bharat's Amit Agnihotri.

New Delhi: Concerned over the BJP and AAP trying to appropriate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi in Gujarat, the Congress is making its own efforts to counter them ahead of the assembly polls this year. The BJP had launched the clean India campaign in the name of Mahatma Gandhi after coming to power at the Centre in 2014 and has since then appreciated a rural job scheme in his name. On his part, PM Modi regularly mentions that Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals and principles give strength to the world and inspire him to serve the people of India.

Recently, AAP founder and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal along with party leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann visited Gujarat to boost their party’s prospects and paid tributes to the Mahatma at the well-known Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad before launching the Tiranga yatra. The visit came after AAP swept the recent Punjab assembly elections. Last year, AAP got a good response in the local body elections in the western state, especially in Surat.

This had prompted Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary to allege that the AAP leaders were only paying lip service to Mahatma Gandhi as Mann had got the leader’s pictures removed from government offices in Punjab. Former Gujarat Congress chief Amit Chawra backed Chaudhary’s view saying while the BJP tried to appropriate the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi as it lacked icons, the AAP was trying to derive political benefit from the tallest freedom fighter’s name.

“Mahatma Gandhi is a world leader. The BJP and AAP are just trying to impress the voters of the state,” Chawra told ETV Bharat. Against this backdrop, the Gujarat Congress recently launched its Azadi Gaurav Yatra, to mark 75 years of Independence, from the Sabarmati Ashram on April 6. The 1,200 km foot march will pass through hundreds of villages and towns across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Haryana before terminating at Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial in Delhi on June 1.

Over the coming weeks, the frontal organizations, including Youth Congress and Mahila Congress, will spread out among the voters in the western state to educate them on how attached the grand old party is to Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals. “We are training our workers to educate the people on this aspect. The yatra will promote peace and harmony,” said Chawra.

The Congress has been out of power in Gujarat for the past three decades and hopes to stage a comeback by year-end when the next assembly elections are scheduled to take place. While the Congress managers are countering both AAP and BJP over the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, the grand old party is projecting the coming polls as a direct contest between itself and the BJP.

“There is a lot of hype around AAP but they lack organization and leaders,” said Chawra, adding, “the BJP talks about Mahatma Gandhi but does not follow his principles.”

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