Congress-organised Gandhi Sandesh Yatras end in Ahmedabad

Two motorcycle yatras organised by the Congress in Gujarat to mark Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary by spreading his message concluded here on Wednesday with party leaders asking workers to use his ideals to fight against an "oppressive" BJP government.

'Gandhi Sandesh Yatras', which had commenced on September 27 from Dandi and Porbandar, both places closely linked with Gandhi's life and work, concluded here.

At the end of the yatras, party leaders addressed a gathering of workers.

One of the motorcycle yatras was taken out from Dandi, a place associated with the historic salt satyagrah of 1930, and the other from Porbandar, the birthplace of Gandhi.

During the six-day-long yatras, Congress leaders and supporters traversed several villages, cities and organised meets to spread the message of the Father of the Nation during stopovers, the party said in a press statement.

On the concluding day, Congress members and supporters gathered in a large number at Kochrab Ashram in Ahmedabad, where party leaders addressed them.

Gujarat Congress president Amit Chavda, in his address, said the party will become the voice of the people and fight on their behalf, like Gandhi did against Britishers, in face of an attempt by the ruling BJP to "oppress" them.

He appealed to party workers to use Gandhi's ideology to resist any attempt by the BJP government to "suppress" people.

Among prominent Congressmen present at the gathering were Rajiv Satav, the party's state in-charge, as well as senior state leaders like Paresh Dhanani, Bharatsinh Solanki and Siddharth Patel, among others.

Speaking on the occasion, Satav talked about fight between two different ideologies represented by Gandhi and his assassin Nathuram Godse.

"Gandhi's life was based on the ideals of truth, simplicity, non-violence. And we should all follow these ideals to bring about a change in the lives of people," said the former MP from Maharashtra.