Rahul to launch ‘BJP Quit Power’ movement from Sevagram on Gandhi Jayanti

In August, 1942, Mahatma Gandhi launched the Quit India movement, his most decisive political battle against British rule, from Gowalia Tank in Mumbai. Demanding an end to British rule in India, Gandhi ji had termed the situation as “do or die” for the Congress.

Following Gandhi ji’s footsteps 76 years later, another Gandhi is set to launch his most crucial political battle against his political rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party, from Sevagram on Tuesday, October 2, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Father of the Nation spent 11 years of his life during the mid-1930s and 1940s in Sevagram and adjacent Wardha, near Nagpur in Maharashtra.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s “BJP Quit Power” campaign will have a special focus on presenting an alternative political and economic vision for the country ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Rahul will hold a 2-kilometre padyatra named “Gandhi Sandesh Yatra—Mahatma Ki Rah Par” from Sevagram to adjacent Wardha. As the name suggests, the yatra will focus on presenting the Congress party’s vision for the country, centred on Gandhian principles.

A king-size poster hanging on the road leading to Sevagram indicates what point the grand old party wants to make. “To take a small step, as small as an inch, is more valuable than delivering long speeches,” reads the poster (see lead image above).

Rahul will take part in a mass prayer organised by the Sevagram trust near Bapu’s Kuti. “We organise a special prayer for dignitaries and special guests. Following the tradition, a special prayer will be organised for the Congress party president,” said an employee of the Sevagram trust. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, along with several senior Congress leaders, are also expected to attend the prayer.

The Congress President will plant a tea in memory of Mahatma Gandhi in the campus, informed a member of the Seva Dal. Later, he will attend a meeting of the Congress’ highest decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) at Mahadev Bhai Bhavan in Sevagram, and also address a public rally.

Four years back in 2014, Sonia Gandhi had planted a tree near the first cottage of Sevagram that was built by Gandhi ji’s disciple Mira Behn (Madeleine Slade).

Many expressed surprise and reservations over the selection of Sevagram as the launch-pad of Congress’ ambitious 'BJP Quit Delhi’ movement, but political analysts feel that the selection of Gandhi ji’s home is a well thought-out strategy.

“By organising the meeting of the party’s highest decision-making body at Sevagram, Congress wants to send out a message that they are the real heirs of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. In times when BJP and the RSS are trying hard to adopt Mahatma Gandhi, Congress does not want to leave space for them,” said an observer who teaches at the Mahatma Gandhi International University in Wardha.