Congress Dandi march to end today

PM, Sonia, Union cabinet ministers to attend

With the culmination of Dandi Yatra set for Wednesday, a very large gathering of political class lead by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, over thirty five Union ministers, around 175 members of parliament, chief ministers of more than a dozen states and who's who of Congress party, is set to come to the state to participate in the event.

Official sources said that prime minister Manmohan Singh, Union HRD minister Arjun Singh, and several of their cabinet colleagues would be descending on Dandi on Wednesday.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi arrived in Navsari on Tuesday afternoon. Gandhi, accompanied by Delhi CM Sheila Dixit, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni, Mohsina Kidwai, Margaret Alva, Rahul Gandhi, and dozens of other top Congress leaders, including members of the All India Congress Committee and members of the Congress Working Committee, joined the Dandi Yatra from Karadi in Navsari.

The chief ministers of more than a dozen Congress-ruled states, including Uttaranchal CM N D Tiwari, Andhra Pradesh CM Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, and others are also slated to take part in the event.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi would also address a public meeting at Dandi tomorrow morning immediately after the culmination of the yatra.

The local Congress leaders have claimed that more than two lakh people would be present at the public meeting.

In the meantime, the Navsari district administration has completed the preparations for the mega gathering. For the purpose three helipads have been built in the grounds of the Dandi high school.

Three additional helipads have also been built in the campus of the Agriculture University. Official sources said that adequate security arrangements have been made for the biggest ever political gathering in the state.

The Congress has earlier claimed that the yatra was bereft of any political motive as it was just a commemoration of a past event.

However, from the number of Congress leaders that have participated in the march, and the number of dignitaries that would witness the yatra's culmination, there is hardly any doubt that Congress is aiming to gain political mileage out of the historic event.