Gandhi's soul would be in pain over India plight: Sonia

Lashing out at RSS attempts to project itself as a symbol of nationhood, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday said India has never strayed away from the principles of inclusiveness espoused by Mahatma Gandhi.

Congress marked 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma by undertaking padayatras across the country with Rahul Gandhi leading party workers in a foot march to Rajghat with a massive spinning wheel (charkha) mounted on an open truck.

Owing to ill-health, Sonia skipped the 3 km padayatra from Delhi Congress office but addressed party workers at Rajghat where she threw punches at the RSS and the Modi government.

“India and Gandhi are synonymous. It is a different matter that these days some people are adamant on turning this idea on its head,” the Congress President said, referring to a top RSS leader's remarks India is now synonymous with RSS.

“These people want India to be synonymous not with Gandhi but with the RSS,” Sonia said hitting out at the Nagpur-based organisation.

“Now you tell me, how can those who base their politics on untruths, understand Gandhiji who was a worshipper of truth. Those who can go to any extent to gain power, how can they understand Gandhi who was a follower of non-violence. Those who have the thirst to concentrate power in one hand even in a democracy, how will they understand the meaning of 'swaraj' enunciated by Gandhiji,” Sonia told a gathering of party workers here.

It was easy to chant the name of the Mahatma, but not so easy to follow his the footsteps, the Congress President said.

“Gandhiji stands for love, not hatred. He is a symbol of democracy and not a dictatorship,” Sonia said.

Hitting out at the Modi government, Sonia said the Mahatma's soul would be writhing in pain after seeing the situation in the country over the past four-five years.

“It is regrettable that our farmers are in distress, our youth is facing unemployment, businesses have shut down, my sisters are not safe in villages as well as cities and their powerful tormentors are roaming about freely,” she said.