nCongress president Sonia Gandhi will lead the grand old party in a padyatra to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, on Wednesday.
The Congress in a statement said that a week long programme, which also marks the culmination of year long celebrations of 150th Birth anniversary of Bapu, will be commemorated in his memory and will be used to re-emphasize his values, and also take to the public how the present dispensation has been killing the values laid down by Mahatma.
Congress said the padyatra is to redeem Gandhi, Gandhism and Gandhi's India and the program will be undertaken by AICC in Delhi and PCCs in their respective Capitals. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will undertake a 'padyatra' on Gandhi Jayanti in Lucknow while Rahul Gandhi art Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat.
"In strife torn world, as indeed India, Gandhiji and his philosophy is more relevant than ever today. The ideological anchor of the Nation, as indeed the Congress, Mahatma Gandhi's legacy of non violence, co-existence, compassion, truth, environmental sustainability and economic self reliance have not only shaped our Nationhood, but those of many across the world," the party said.
The party said the BJP and its government have done everything contrary to the Gandhian teachings and whatever the Mahatma stood for. Barring high sounding schemes surrounding orchestrated events that aim only at electoral benefits, the very grain of this Government is anti poor, disadvantaged and the oppressed. Lynching criminals get bail and rape victims are jailed and killed.
Joblessness has become so rampant that fathers are killing their children because they can't afford the school fees. However, our Government pretends everything is fine, said the statement.
It also noted institutions are crumbling; Election Commission is acting as a subordinate government department commuting sentences awarded by the court.