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7th
Anniversary
CONGRESS
TO RE-ENACT DANDI MARCH
 NEW
DELHI: The Indian National Congress according to AICC
Treasurer, Shri Motilal Vora on 30 January, is celebrating
the 75th anniversary of Bapu's historic Salt
Satyagraha that was launched on March 12, 1930 from Ahmedabad
and that culminated at Dandi on April 6th, 1930.
The objective is to recall and recapture the spirit of this
Dandi March. The Indian National Congress will be reaffirming
its spirit of Dandi March. The INC will be reaffirming its
commitment to the welfare and well-being of all people across
our country.
To
prepare for this momentous occasion, an organizing committee
has been formed with Smt. Sonia Gandhi, President of the
Indian National Congress as the Patron-in-Chief. The Prime
Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh will be its Patron. The committee
will be chaired by Shri Sunil Dutt, MP. Shri Tushar Gandhi,
Managing Trustee of the Mahatma Gandhi Foundation will be
its vice-chairman. Shri Ashok Gehlot and Shri Mukul Wasnik,
General Secretaries of the All India Congress Committee
will be its coordinators. Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan
Singh and many other Congressmen and women will take part
in the March which will be flagged off by Smt. Sonia Gandhi
from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12, 2005.
The
Congress sees this re-enactment of the Dandi March as an
opportunity of making our younger generation better appreciative
of the great legacy that we have inherited from the Father
of the Nation and his dedicated band of colleagues who made
us a free country. This legacy is constantly under threat
from forces who seek to divide and polarize our people.
The
Congress enjoins all organizations and people who share
its commitment to the values bequeathed to us by Gandhiji,
particularly the values of religious tolerance, understanding
and amity, to participate whole-heartedly in these anniversary
celebrations. This will also be an occasion for rededicating
ourselves to realizing Poorna Swaraj through Gram Swaraj.
Veteran
cine star and Youth and Sports minister, Shri Sunil Dutt
then spoke and thanked the Congress president, Smt. Sonia
Gandhi and the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh for reposing
faith in him in making him the chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi
Trust which will be organizing the `Dandi March'. "The
participation in this march is not only for the Congress
but of the whole nation as Mahatma Gandhi belonged to the
nation," Shri Dutt said. I am proud that the world
chose Mahatma Gandhi as the man of the century, he added.
So, it becomes the duty of all Indians that when we celebrate
the 75th year of that historic Dandi March, I
would like to see that the youth take active part in it
from cities and villages. I would also ask all those who
believe in the ideology of the great Mahatma to follow his
path and take part in this march with dedication.
Shri
Dutt said the Mahatma was 61-years old in 1930 when he undertook
the Dandi March. But those who accompanied him were mostly
under 30 years of age. This indicates what the Mahatma was
trying to tell is that youth must come forward and participate
actively in politics and take over the reigns in running
the country for a better tomorrow.
Later,
Shri Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi,
who is also the deputy-chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi Trust
and the brain behind this re-enactment of the historic march
75 years later, said that the march covering 241 miles will
commence from Sabarmati to terminate at Dandi.
Shri
Tushar said the objective of this march is to recall the
sacrifices of those anonymous people who gave up everything
for the Satyagraha movement that gave us our freedom. They
have not been remembered because they were not signaled
out as martyrs. We now want to pay tribute to their memories.
We must re-affirm our faith in peace and non-violence and
participation in this march would be the best way to come
close to each other and to understand and respect one another.
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