His ideals will guide us: Rahul Gandhi extends greetings on Guru Ravidas Jayanti

New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday extended greetings to the countrymen on the occasion of Guru Ravidas Jayanti.

Guru Ravidas, a revered saint of the Bhakti movement in the 15th and 16th centuries, is known for his powerful message of unity, devotion, and service to humanity.

Taking to X, he posted, "Hearty congratulations to all of you on the birth anniversary of Sant Guru Ravidas ji. His teachings give us the message of service to humanity, social harmony and brotherhood -- these ideals of his will always guide us."

Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge also shared his greetings on social media, along with a passage from a poem by Guru Ravidas.

"Heartiest greetings to all countrymen on the birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Guru Ravidas Ji, the pioneer of social justice, who awakened a new consciousness in the society through his works to remove casteism, untouchability, ostentation, injustice, discrimination, hatred, inequality and the evils prevalent in the society," he posted on X.

Congress Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi also took to X and posted, "Heartiest greetings on the birth anniversary of Sant Shiromani Shri Guru Ravidas Ji. Guru Ravidas Ji attacked social evils through his writings and gave the message of humanity, equality, peace and goodwill. His great thoughts will always show the way to the country."

In observance of the occasion, several states have declared a public holiday. Punjab, Haryana, and Uttarakhand have announced state-wide holidays, while the Delhi government has also declared a public holiday for government and public-sector employees.

In Punjab and Haryana, government offices and schools in cities such as Chandigarh, Mohali, Gurugram, and Faridabad will remain closed.

In Uttarakhand, a holiday was declared on Wednesday for all state government institutions except the secretariat and treasury. The state will also organise cleanliness drives and decorate statues of Guru Ravidas in his honour.

A notification issued by the Delhi government confirmed a holiday for all government offices, autonomous bodies, and public sector undertakings, allowing residents of the capital to celebrate the birth anniversary of the revered saint.