INDIA bloc to hold 'Main Bhi Gandhi' march on Oct 2

This decision was made at a joint press conference of the INDIA alliance held in Mumbai on Saturday.

The foot march will be organised on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti as well as Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti and aims to give a befitting response to the BJP's agenda of divisive politics, Varsha Gaikwad, Mumbai Congress president, who presided over the press conference, said.

"Be it any kind of division -- caste, race, or unrest among communities, everything is a product of the BJP and RSS' divisive and malicious politics. During international visits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes to Mahatma Gandhi's statues to pay respects, but back here in India his assassins are respected," she continued.

"Hatred is being spread all over the country. How will this be eradicated? Through Mahatma Gandhi and his ideals and ideology. The march will be a silent and non-violent one to ensure that his way of life will not be forgotten. Many NGOs will also remain present at the march. We appeal to people to join in large numbers," Gaikwad said.

Besides Gaikwad, Rakhi Jadhav and Vidya Chavan of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Abu Asim Azmi of the Samajwadi Party, Priti Menon of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), A Meeran of DMK, Samya Korde of PWP, Shailendra Kamble of CPI(M), Amit Jha and Sachin Bansode of Janata Dal (United), Mohammed Iqbal of Rashtriya Janata Dal and Prakash Reddy of Communist Party of India were also present at the conference.

Abu Asim Azmi said: "The central government has a divide-and-rule policy. We have been seeing this in the last few years. They take Gandhi's name and do everything against his beliefs and ideals. We have to do away with them."

Priti Menon charged that the current government does not work for the people and accused it of causing a split between people on the basis of religion and caste.