Congress cancels Gandhi Sandesh Yatra amid coronavirus fear

New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Amid coronavirus threat, the Congress on Tuesday decided to cancel the 27-day Gandhi Sandesh Yatra, which was scheduled to start on March 12 from Ahmedabad.

The yatra was to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's historic Dandi March. It was to culminate on April 6 at Dandi, covering after 386 km.

The party, in a statement on Friday, had said: "The Gandhi Sandesh Yatra will give an opportunity of making our younger generation appreciative of the great legacy that we have inherited from the Father of the Nation. This legacy is constantly under threat from forces seeking to polarise the society."

The Congress had described the yatra's objective to recall and recapture the spirit of Dandi March, to re-establish party's resolve to protect and promote the values of the Constitution and to emulate Gandhi's thoughts especially those relating to truth, peace, non-violence and social harmony.