Ahmedabad: Opposition Congress party in Gujarat today said it has postponed its Gandhi Sandesh Yatra in view of increasing impact of Corona Virus.

State Congress incharge Rajeev Satav in a tweet made announcement that in view of the increasing impact of the Corona virus, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to postpone the Gandhi Sandesh Yatra starting from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12.

The yatra was to take place on the route of historic Dandi Yatra of Mahatma Gandhi that took place in year 1931.

In view of the increasing impact of the Corona virus, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee has decided to postpone the Gandhi Sandesh Yatra starting from Sabarmati Ashram on March 12.

— Rajeev Satav (@SATAVRAJEEV) March 9, 2020

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi who is also son of present Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was to join the march from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Aslali nearby on March 12 with a night halt at party worker’s place. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was also going to join Rahul in this yatra. The yatra was to be welcomed at 11 places on this route. Chief Ministers of Congress ruled states and central leaders of Congress party including Priyanka Gandhi(party general secretary, sister of Rahul Gandhi and daughter of Sonia Gandhi) was also going to join yatra at different places on route. Party chief Sonia Gandhi was to join it in the last phase at Dandi on April 6.

'गुजरात कांग्रेस' ने १२ मार्च से ६ अप्रैल
तक " गांधी संदेश यात्रा " का संकल्प किया
था लेकिन, कोरोना वायरस से
आम जन की स्वास्थ्य सुरक्षा को ध्यान मे
रखते हुए वल्ड हेल्थ ओर्गेनाईजेशन और
भारत सरकार की एडवाईजरी को ध्यान मे रखते हुए कार्यक्रम को स्थगित
करने का फैसला लिया है।

— Amit Chavda (@AmitChavdaINC) March 9, 2020

Former Gujarat congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki was given responsibility of Ahmedabad – Anand stretch of yatra while Arjun Modhwadia was made incharge of Anand – Bharuch stretch, Siddharth Patel Bharuch – Surat stretch and Tushar Chaudhary Surat – Dandi stretch.

Party spokesperson Manish Doshi said that large number of people including those from abroad were to participate in the Yatra event which would have ended on April 6 after 26 days of on-foot traveling of 386 km of distance from Ahmedabad to Dandi in South Gujarat.

He said that the decision to postpone the event has been taken keeping the public health safety in mind and also following the guidelines issued by the central government and the World Health Organization (WHO) with regard to the Corona virus.

Doshi said that at a time when people across the country and the world were apprehensive about the spread of Corona virus, the party leadership showed a responsible attitude and decided to postpone the march in which the participation of thousands of people at such a time could have created risky situation with regard to the spread of Corona virus.

DeshGujarat