Congress faces bumpy ride to Dandi

The Congress, which had hoped to reap the rewards of the Tushar Gandhi-led Dandi March - II, is in a quandary owing to the poor response the march has received.

Moreover, comments made by prominent freedom fighter Chuni Vaidya on the occasion of the honouring of freedom fighters from the region, left a bitter taste for Congressmen.

"Today, when we are talking about relevance of Gandhian thoughts, I must admit that the Congress itself has failed to live up to the promises. The Congressmen, who pledged just a few days back in the presence of their party president Sonia Gandhi, accepted a proposal to raise salaries of MLAs," he lamented.

"The MLAs should withdraw their support to the Bill that calls for increasing salaries," said Vaidya.

Several MPs, MLAs and other prominent leaders of the Congress, including Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Haryana, were present at the function.

Other freedom fighters also stressed on rural development and keeping the khadi industry alive.

The march has covered nearly 100 km so far and has reached Anand.

The Gujarat State Education Board's exams also have overshadowed the Dandi march - II.

The participants of march are halting at the school where Mahatma Gandhi had stayed overnight at the time of his march. However, the students were more concerned with their exams.

Tushar Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has been staying clear of making political statements at various functions. During the visit at Amul Dairy at Anand, Gandhi said: "We are happy to be at Anand where Amul is located. The institution believes in the Gandhian philosophy of 'self reliance."

"The co-operative movement has a vital role to play in rural development. Such institutions should be replicated at other places too," he added.

The participants of the march, who had come from across India and abroad, spend the day doing community work.

Karen Dunne, a visitor from US who has been associated with Season for Nonviolence, a global movement in memories of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, is impressed with the entire exercise.

"The Gandhian thoughts are very relevant in today's context. It has been a great experience for us to interact with people promoting Gandhian views," Dunne said.

The participants have been received well by the local Congress workers. "The first two days were difficult for us but now we have become used to it. We feel we are lucky to have been able to participate in this march. We will definitely go back to our place with new ideas and outlook," said Manish Sharma who has come from Jaipur.