Congress launches Azadi Gaurav Yatra

The Congress party on Wednesday launched its Azadi Gaurav Yatra from Sabarmati Ashram on Wednesday, to commemorate 75 years of Independence and showcase the role it played in the freedom struggle and country's development after 1947. It also marked the kick-off of Congress's Gujarat assembly election campaign.

A Congress leader said party president Sonia Gandhi and MP Rahul Gandhi decided to organize the yatra "to remind our new generations of the sacrifices made by our leaders in achieving freedom from the British Raj".

The yatra will pass through four states before reaching its destination, Raj Ghat in Delhi, on June 1. The 1,200-km march will cover five districts in Gujarat in the next ten days, Congress leaders said. The march will pass through Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi before culminating at Raj Ghat after 42 days.

Hundreds of Congress Seva Dal members attended a prayer meet at Hriday Kunj in the Ashram this morning before embarking on the padayatra while holding the party flag.

The foot march was flagged off by the Congress's state leadership including Gujarat in-charge Raghu Sharma, state unit president Jagdish Thakor and others.