New Delhi : To commemorate the 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi taking over the presidency of the Indian National Congress Party in Belagavi session in 1924, the Congress will be holding ‘Nav Satyagraha Baithak’ on December 26 at the same place where Gandhi took over as the President of the INC. It will be followed by a mammoth rally named as ‘Jai Bapu, Jai Bheem, Jai Samvidaan’ on December 27.
Congress general secretary, KC Venugopal accompanied by Jairam Ramesh, general secretary communications and Pawan Khera, Chairman of the Media and Publicity, said that under the BJP rule, the country was faced with fresh challenges where democracy was being eroded and constitutional institutions were under constant attack.
Giving details of the two-day programme to mark the special occasion, he said, on December 26, an extended meeting of the Congress Working Committee, called ‘Nav Satyagrah Baithak’, will be held which will be attended by about 200 leaders from across the country. They include the CWC members, permanent and special invitees, sitting and former Chief Ministers, PCC presidents and CLP leaders from the states.
He said the meeting will discuss next year’s action plan for the Congress and adopt two resolutions. The CWC will also deliberate upon the current challenges the country is facing, including the socio-economic disparity, erosion of democracy and attack on the constitutional institutions.
Venugopal said, Mahatma Gandhi in his presidential speech in 1924, spelt out the theme and philosophy of the freedom struggle, which included non-violence and non-cooperation as means to seek freedom, removal of untouchability, promoting unity between communities, addressing the socio-economic disparities and reinforcing justice and equality. These things, he observed, became the bedrock of the freedom movement.
The Congress general secretary added that Belagavi had a special place in the Congress history, as besides Mahatma Gandhi taking over the presidency, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak gave the slogan, ‘Swaraj is my birthright’ from here only, in 1916.
Speaking on the occasion, Jairam Ramesh said that exactly 100 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi formally became the president of the Indian National Congress, which was a momentous occasion as Gandhi was the supreme leader of the INC. He said, while Gandhi had announced Satyagraha in Belgavi, the Congress party will hold the ‘Nav Satyagrah Baithak’ at the same place.
Jairam Ramesh also referred to the ‘Ambedkar Samman Saptah’ currently being organized by the Congress all over the country during which over 100 press conferences have been held against the insult of Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar by the union Home Minister.
He said protests were being held continuously, and memorandums addressed to the President were being submitted to the DCs, demanding the removal of the Home Minister and his apology. “Only solution is the resignation of the Home Minister”, he remarked, while referring to the demand put forth by the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha.
Referring to the resolutions to be passed in the CWC, Pawan Khera said, these hold a lot of importance not only for the party, but for the country as a whole as “every resolution determines the journey of the country”.
