At End of 'Gandhi Sankalp Yatra', BJP Leaders Praise Modi

Ahmedabad, Nov 19 (PTI) Hundreds of people gathered at the Sabarmati Ashram here in Gujarat on the occasion of conclusion of the BJPs three-day Gandhi Sankalp Yatra, organised by the ruling party as part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.

Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and a number of BJP MLAs and party workers gathered at the ashram, which Gandhi made his home between 1917 and 1930, to mark the end of the yatra organised in the Lok Sabha constituency of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Addressing the gathering of BJP workers, students and Gandhians from a stage set up in front of Hriday Kunj, the hut where Gandhi lived, Tomar said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed this programme so that party workers could reach out to crores of people and spread the thoughts and ideas of the Father of the Nation.

Gandhiji is a personality who by his deeds made himself Ajatshatru (having no enemy). In politics there are people of different ideologies, but they have their share of praise and criticism, but Gandhiji is such a personality, which has no opposition, the Union agriculture minister said.

He said the then governments did not work to take forward Gandhis ideas of gram swaraj, cleanliness, rural economy for the uplift of the poor and encouragement of small and medium enterprises.

Tomar said Modis idea of skill development to create jobs is a way to embrace Gandhis thought.

We are fortunate that we have a personality like Narendra Modi amidst us. There was a time when the country followed (former prime minister) Lal Bahadur Shastri.

"There were many prime ministers after that, but if there is a leader with mass appeal, then he is Narendra Modi, the Union minister said.

Through his personality, deed and hard work, Narendrabhai is raising the stature of Bharat Ma, and is also working to make himself Ajatshatru, Tomar said.

Speaking on the occasion, Rupani said the ideals of Gandhi and political stalwarts Deendayal Upadhyay and Ram Manohar Lohia - that of reaching out to the last person, the poor - will always remain relevant.

Rather than the history of one dynasty, Narendrabhai ensured that our history of great personalities inspires the new generation, he said, adding Modi constructed Mahatma Mandir and Gandhi Memorial, among others, to enliven Gandhi.

Central and state governments are working to put the Sabarmati Ashram on the world map. Similarly, for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was relegated to secondary position, the worlds tallest statue (Statue of Unity in Narmada district) dedicated to him was built, he said.

By establishing their memorials, Modi ensured that Indias great personalities like B R Ambedkar, Veer Savarkar, Subhash Chandra Bose and Shyamji Krishna Verma become inspirations for the new generation, he said.

Rupani said Modi is working to strengthen the idea of Ram Rajya that was conceived by Gandhi.

Lord Ram is not a symbol of any community, but an epitome of how a human being should be...Gandhi wanted the country to become Ram Rajya.

"And Narnedrabbhai wants this idea to become stronger and reach the people, and hence this yatra was organised, he said.

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