Dandi March anniversary: How PM Modi honoured Gandhi's legacy, ignored by Cong
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) : On the 95th anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi-led Dandi March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to those who participated in the historic Salt Satyagraha -- a defining chapter in India's freedom struggle. The Dandi March, also known as Salt Satyagraha, ignited a nationwide movement and a wave of civil disobedience. As the nation celebrates the 95th anniversary of the historic Salt Satyagraha, it's pertinent to note how the legacy has been "honoured" and "exploited" under respective governments, particularly by UPA and NDA.
Modi Archive, a popular social media handle on X has documented details of various eras, bringing to light how it was used as a "political gimmick" by the Congress governments and turned into a "Congress-exclusive" campaign. It claims that Congress governments used the Dandi march for political mileage, reducing it to a symbolic event rather than paying genuine tribute to Gandhi ji's legacy. It also states that the successive Congress governments have "exploited" Mahatma Gandhi's name for political convenience while failing to uphold his ideals. On the contrary, when the nation was celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, an initiative to celebrate the 75th year of India's Independence, PM Modi flagged off a commemorative Dandi March, paying rich tributes to Gandhi's spirit of self-reliance.
"The 21-day March was not only a reenactment of the historic March but also a tribute to Gandhi's spirit of self-reliance and resistance. It marked the beginning of a series of events in a year-long national programme honouring India's journey from subjugation to sovereignty," it highlighted. However, such was not the case in 2005, when Congress organised a similar event in 2005 to mark the 75th anniversary of the Dandi March. According to Modi Archives, the motive behind this commemoration was starkly different. Instead of being a unifying event, it was turned into a politically charged campaign aimed at challenging the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. On January 30, 2005, the march was flagged off by Sonia Gandhi and concluded by then PM Manmohan Singh in Dandi.
The X handle claims that the March was framed as a direct "challenge to the Modi leadership in Gujarat" and focused on reviving the party's waning influence in Gujarat. It also earned condemnation from various quarters including BJP patriarch L. K. Advani, as he slammed the grand old party for reducing the national movement into a partisan event. He had pointed out that the march of such historical significance should have seen the participation of all political parties and leaders, including Gujarat CM, but Congress' political agenda ensured his exclusion from the march. The Congress-sponsored march was also rebuked from various quarters for sidelining many Gandhian stalwarts and monopolising Gandhi.
Many groups like Gujarat Sarvodaya Mandal and Gujarat Khadi Mandal didn't participate, accusing the Congress of using Gandhi's legacy for political mileage. Veteran Gandhians abstained, claiming that the event was orchestrated, not to honour Mahatma Gandhi but to serve Congress' political interests. Concerns were also raised on Congress' understanding of the significance of Salt Satyagraha, which symbolised people's rights over resources and resistance against colonial exploitation. In 2007, then Gujarat Chief Minister wrote to then PM Manmohan Singh, urging him to expedite action on the promises made in 2005 for the 75th-anniversary commemoration of the Dandi March. Later at an event, he also criticised the UPA for reducing Gandhi's historic March to a mere token event.
It was only after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister that Gandhi ji's legacy was truly honoured. On January 30, 2019, PM Modi inaugurated the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial (NSSM) in Dandi, Gujarat. This was the very project announced by the then PM Manmohan Singh in 2005, yet never completed under the UPA government. "From reducing the 75th-anniversary of the Dandi March to a party-centric event to abandoning commitments made in Gandhi's name, Congress' approach has been driven by self-interest, not reverence. In contrast, the Modi government has ensured that Gandhiji's legacy is preserved in spirit and through tangible action," said the X handle.
