New Delhi: The Congress has asked state units and office-bearers to mandatorily conduct one-hour padayatra (hiking) at state and district headquarters on October 2, the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary.
The top party leadership, including interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, will take part in the padayatra. The programme of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi is also being finalised. Sonia Gandhi would participate in the padayatra in the national capital, said a source.
The padayatra will be followed by seminars, lectures and exhibitions between October 3 and October 9 to spread the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, according to an internal circular issued by Organisational General Secretary K.C. Venugopal.
"We need to educate people about Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts on freedom, nationalism, secularism and non-violence," read the circular.
To counter the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress wants to spread the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi. It was an ideological battle and views of Mahatma Gandhi were still relevant, said a Congress leader.
The Congress plan assumes significance as the BJP has asked its MPs to take part in padayatra in their respective constituencies.
The Congress padayatra was aimed at countering the BJP and drawing a line to stall the BJP's bid to grab the legacy of Mahatma, said a source.
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