 "Rahul's Bharat Jodo Yatra to pass through Surat, Tapi on last day in Guj")
The 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' led by Rahul Gandhi entered the last leg of its Gujarat journey on Sunday as it headed for Bardoli in Surat where the Congress leader will visit the historic Swaraj Ashram.
The ashram was built in 1922 by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as his residence and served as a centre for planning and executing the Bardoli Satyagrah -- a farmers' agitation and nationalist movement against increased taxation of cultivators by the then British colonial government.
Mahatma Gandhi also stayed at the ashram for a month in 1936 and 1941.
"Today is the 57th day of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the last day in Gujarat. We will be passing through Surat and Tapi districts. The highlight today is that around 10.30 am, Rahul Gandhi will visit the Swaraj Ashram," senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
In a post on X, Ramesh said that on Sunday morning, the yatra visited Wadhwana Reservoir near Vadodara in Gujarat, a century old tank built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III in 1909-10.
It has since become an important habitat for migratory birds in the winter. It has now been designated a Ramsar site due to its importance as an ecosystem, he said.
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"Although late in the season, we managed to catch (a glimpse of) a few birds today," he said.
Close to the Wadhwana Reservoir is the historic city of Dabhoi.
"We saw the Hira Bhagol, the eastern gate to the city's fort, which dates to the reign of Siddhraj Jaisinh in the 12th century. It is an imposing monument, with intricate stone carvings. Unfortunately, most of the fortifications it used to protect no longer remain," Ramesh said in the post.
On Saturday, Gandhi interacted with around 70 civil society leaders working with Dalit, tribal and farmer movements during his mass outreach programme at Kunvarpara in Gujarat's Narmada district.
Later, in his public address at Netrang in Bharuch district, Gandhi said the caste census is a revolutionary step that will ensure everyone's participation in India's wealth and institutions, and promised to remove the 50 per cent cap on reservations in educational admissions and government jobs..
"Let us conduct an X-ray (scan) and find out who owns the wealth of the country, whether tribals hold the wealth and how much, and whether they are leading large organisations. It will make everything clear, and you will find out that you are being fooled," he had said as Aam Aadmi Party candidate from Bharuch Lok Sabha seat Chaitar Vasava stood by his side.
The 6,700-km 'Manipur to Mumbai' yatra entered the BJP-ruled Gujarat on Thursday from Rajasthan.
It will enter Maharashtra on Sunday evening.