Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the celebration of 75 years of independence, in Ahmedabad and flagged off a symbolic 'Dandi March'. The padyatra or foot march started from Sabarmati Ashram to commemorate the 91st anniversary of Gandhi's historic 'Salt Satyagrah'.
These events are part of the Centre's initiative to commemorate the 75th anniversary of independence, which PM Modi announced, will go on till August 15, 2023.
The Prime Minister, during his four-hours stay, visited Mahatma Gandhi-founded Sabarmati Ashram where he presided over the inaugural cultural function of "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav" in a dome erected near Abhay Ghat, the resting place of late Prime Minister Moraji Desai.
The event was attended by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Governor Acharya Devvrat, other ministers, BJP leaders, scores of government officials, faculties of Gandhi-founded Gujarat Vidyapith, among others.
The PM also flagged off the symbolic 'Dandi March', marking the 91st anniversary of the historic march led by Mahatma Gandhi against the salt law under British Raj. In this foot-march, 81 people are participatiing from Sabarmati Ashram, walking from Ahmedabad to Dandi, a coastal village in Navsari district in south Gujarat, covering a total of 386 km in 25 days.
In his speech, Modi said, "Azadi Ka Amrut Mohatsav is a tribute by all of us to our freedom fighters and freedom movement." Modi cited the contribution of "Kol, Khasi, Santhal, Naga, Bhil, Munda, Sanyasi, Ramoshi, Kittur, Travancore movement, Sambhalpur, Chuar, Bundel and Kuka uprisings" in the freedom struggle. "Many such struggles kept the flame of freedom burning in every period and region of the country, " he said.
The Prime Minister also wrote in the visitors' book at the Ashram that "Mahotsav is a tribute to freedom fighters."
Incubation centre at Sabarmati Ashram
The Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, which manages the Ashram, gifted Modi a speech of Gandhi on October 2, 1919, wherein he mentioned how India should learn to become self-reliant. Modi announced in his speech that an incubation centre will be set up at the Ashram to help indigenous practices. It will be run with the help of the Ministry of Culture.
Congress leaders prevent from Dandi March
The event was not without political drama as scores of Congress leaders were put under house arrest and were prevented from taking out a proposed parallel Dandi march on tractors in support of farmers protesting the farm laws.
Gujarat Congress State President Amit Chavda tweeted that police locked the gates of several MLAs of his party in order to prevent them from taking out the rally. Later in the day, Chavda, leader of opposition Paresh Dhanani, Arjun Modhwadia, Siddharth Patel, among other leaders were detained by the police.
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