Sonia, Rahul to march in Delhi to reclaim Gandhi

New Delhi: Amid tussle with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Mahatma Gandhi's legacy, the Congress leaders will hold marches across the country on Wednesday on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary.

Interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and former party President Rahul Gandhi are set to lead march in the national capital and General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in Lucknow.

"Sonia Gandhi along with Rahul Gandhi will be marching from the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) office on the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg to Rajghat," party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal said in a release.

Sonia Gandhi would also administer oath to party leaders and workers at Rajghat to redeem Gandhi, Gandhism and Gandhi's India, said Venugopal. In today's strife-torn world, Mahatma Gandhi and his philosophy were more relevant, he added.

He said 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 had not only shaped India, but many nations across the world, he said.

In an apparent jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said, "Some political parties and disparate ideological proponents seem to have realised the importance of Gandhiji, his philosophies and teachings now."

He said the BJP and it's government had 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, anti-disadvantaged & oppressed," he said.

He recounted atrocities against the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and deprived people across the country, and massive loan write-offs and recapitalisation exercises aimed mainly to benefit crony corporates.

He also attacked the government over number of issues, like mob lynching accused getting bail and rape victims being jailed and killed, and joblessness.

"However, our government pretends everything is fine," he said in an apparent jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks made at the Houston in US.

He said the Congress guided by the Gandhian ideals would take on this oppressive and anti-people government.