Rahul Gandhi addresses his supporters as his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra looks on, at a roadshow during his 66-day long Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Mumbai, March 16, 2024.
Reuters Photo
Mumbai: Sitting atop an open-roof SUV, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra traversed through the roads of Mumbai, concluding the 6,700-km 66-day Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the slum-cluster of Dharavi, known as mini-India.
"Dharavi is the real Make in India," said Rahul amid thunderous applause on Saturday evening.
The Gandhi brother-sister duo were accompanied by AICC general secretaries Ramesh Chennithala and KC Venugopal, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, and his Mumbai counterpart Prof Varsha Gaikwad, who is the MLA from Dharavi.
Rahul Gandhi directed strong criticism towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP, and central agencies such as the CBI, ED, and IT, as well as the 'Adani-Ambani' combination.
He reiterated his stance that the electoral bond scheme constitutes a massive scam.
During his meetings throughout the day, Rahul emphasised the promise of conducting a caste census, which he described as the "X-ray and MRI of India."
"This yatra was organised to raise awareness among the people about the current reality of the nation. It's crucial to comprehend the prevailing circumstances," Priyanka emphasised.
Rahul reiterated the guarantees made by the Congress during the course of the journey, which concluded on the same day the Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, conducted a final assessment of the arrangements for Sunday’s mega-rally of the I.N.D.I.A opposition bloc at the historic Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to embark on a padyatra in Mumbai on Sunday, commencing from Mani Bhavan and culminating at August Kranti Maidan.
The padyatra, named Nyay Sankalp Padyatra, will take place shortly after the formal conclusion of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra at Chaityabhoomi, where the final rites of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution, were performed.
Both Mani Bhavan and August Kranti Maidan hold significant importance in the history of Mumbai and India’s freedom struggle.
The Gowalia Tank Maidan, now known as August Kranti Maidan, is the site where Mahatma Gandhi delivered the historic Quit India speech on 8th August 1942.
On August 7, 1942, the All India Congress Committee convened its session under the presidency of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. This session, which extended past midnight into the next day, took place at the Gowalia Tank Maidan, situated a few metres away from Gokuldas Tejpal House, where the Indian National Congress was established in December 1885.
Mani Bhavan, a modest two-storied building located on Laburnum Road in the serene locality of Gamdevi, served as the nerve centre for Mahatma Gandhi's activities in Bombay (now Mumbai) for approximately 17 years, from 1917 to 1934. The building belonged to Shri Revashankar Jagjeevan Jhaveri, a devoted follower of Gandhiji, who warmly hosted him during this period.
Today, Mani Bhavan houses a museum and attracts numerous dignitaries who visit to pay homage. It was from this historic building that Gandhi initiated significant movements such as Non-Cooperation, Satyagraha, Swadeshi, Khadi, and Khilafat. Additionally, Gandhiji's association with the charkha (spinning wheel) began during his stay at Mani Bhavan in 1917.