Aug 04, 2024 12:02 PM IST
Congress said the march aims to shed light on a series of devastating incidents that have rocked the state and the entire country in the past two years, including the Morbi bridge collapse, the TRP Game zone fire in Rajkot, and the Harni Lake tragedy in Vadodara
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Congress is set to launch a protest march—‘Nyay Padyatra’ (justice march)—on August 9, party officials aware of the matter said.
The yatra will be led by Congress Seva Dal chief Lalji Desai, along with Gujarat Congress President Shaktisinh Gohil and Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge are also likely to join the yatra, which will commence in Morbi and culminate in Gandhinagar on August 22.
The yatra will be launched demanding justice for victims of recent tragedies in Gujarat, a party leader said.
“This march aims to shed light on a series of devastating incidents that have rocked the state and the entire country in the past two years, including the Morbi bridge collapse, the TRP Game zone fire in Rajkot, and the Harni Lake tragedy in Vadodara,” said Gujarat Congress president Gohil.
The Congress alleges that these calamities are not mere accidents but the direct result of systemic corruption and negligence within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.
The date of the yatra—August 9—holds profound historical significance in India’s freedom struggle, marking the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s call for civil disobedience against British rule in 1942. On this day in 1942, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India Movement.
“This Nyay Padyatra is our way of seeking justice for those who have suffered due to the BJP’s misgovernance and corruption. We aim to expose the rampant corruption that has become endemic under their rule, leading to tragic incidents like the Morbi bridge collapse, the TRP Game zone fire, and the Harni Lake tragedy,” Shailesh Parmar, deputy leader in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, said at a press conference in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Parmar said that their party aims to expose what he called “rampant corruption” that has allegedly become endemic under BJP rule.
Starting from Morbi, the site of the tragic bridge collapse that claimed as many as 135 lives in October 2022, the march will wind its way to Gandhinagar, the state capital, said Parmar.
Led by Lalji Desai, the yatra will include 101 core participants and families of victims, their presence serving as a stark reminder of the human cost of alleged corrupt practices and misgovernance, the Congress said in a statement.
As the march progresses through various districts, the Congress plans to conduct Jan Samvad (public dialogue) sessions.
Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said that they have informed the senior leaders of the party, including party president Kharge, Rahul, and Priyanka, and are hopeful about their participation in the yatra.
During his visit to Gujarat last month, Rahul met the family members and relatives of those who lost their lives in various tragedies in Gujarat recently, including the Rajkot game zone fire that claimed 27 lives in May; the boat capsize incident at Vadodara in January where 14 lives were lost; and the Morbi bridge collapse, where a British-era suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Morbi collapsed on October 30, killing 135 people.
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