Sonia leads Dandi March

Sonia leads Dandi March

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 (Dandi):

Congress President Sonia Gandhi is leading tens of thousands of Gandhians from across the world in the final stage of the commemorative of the Dandi March.

She is being joined by hundreds of Congress workers.

The march, a brainchild of the Mahatma's great grandson Tushar Gandhi, had got hijacked by the propaganda machinery of the Congress party somewhere along the way.

In fact, Tushar admits that the logistics of the march were so huge that it perhaps would have been impossible without the help of the Congress.

Heritage route

"I had to go to the Congress to ask for help. It is political in some sense, but the idea is to spread the message of Gandhi. At least we are walking and talking and not moving in automated raths with air conditioners," Tushar said.

Tushar and his family have taken a dip in the Dandi seafront just as Mahatma Gandhi did in 1930 before he picked up a fistful of salt in defiance of British law.

Many are now demanding that the entire 385-km stretch from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi in Navsari district in Gujarat should be declared as a heritage route.

BJP stronghold

But the question on everyone's mind is whether the grand spectacle help revive the fortunes of the Congress in Gujarat. Dandi has been a BJP stronghold for the past 15 years.

Drinking water, sanitation and employment - key issues for the people of Dandi - have not caught the attention of political parties who have tried to use the Mahatma 's legacy over years

Now the Congress is hoping to focus on the dangers of communal politics in a state, which has seen sharp communal polarisation in the last decade.

"They did not take out the yatra to benefit the Congress. The idea was to spread sadbhavna," said Union Minister Sunil Dutt.

In fact, many suggest that the money spent on the grand march should have been spent to develop the route.

"Its a gimmick of the Congress party that will not benefit the people. The yatra money should have been used fpr the development on the entire route," said Mahesh Bhai Kothari, President, Manav Kalyan Sangh.

So strong has been the disconnect of Dandi from the political mainstream that this place of great historical value has had no information centre to propagate Gandhi's ideals for the past 15 years.

from ndtv.com