Opposition Candidate Meira Kumar Wants To Take Forward Gandhi’s Ideology:- The Presidential Election campaign from Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram, was launched by Opposition Candidate Meira Kumar on Friday.

Meira said her fight is to take forward the ideology of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. To mark its centenary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also visited the ashram on Thursday. In 1917, it was established by Mahatma Gandhi and he led the Indian Independence movement from the ashram.

Along with state Congress leaders Bharatsinh Solanki and Shankarsinh Vaghela, Meira spent around 40 minutes in the ashram on Friday. In the July 17 presidential election, she will contest against NDA’s Ram Nath Kovind. Meira while launching her campaign said, “The battle which I am fighting at present is for the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi. We have to take forward the ideology of Gandhi.”

“I have come to gain some power from this place. I spent some time at the ‘Hriday Kunj’, Gandhiji’s home in the ashram. I have gained lot of energy on Friday to take forward this battle.” The 72-year-old Congress veteran further said, that  coming to the ashram gave her peace. “I wish prosperity for the people of Gujarat and especially those who are marginalized,” she said.

The Opposition candidate also tried her hands on the ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) in the ashram. After NDA declared Kovind, a Dalit leader from Uttar Pradesh, as their candidate, Meira was chosen as the opposition’s nominee for the Presidential Election. Kumar is the daughter of late Dalit leader Jagjivan Ram.

The election is a “battle of ideologies” and not a “Dalit versus Dalit” fight, said Kumar upon her arrival at the Ahmedabad airport last night, had said. “Attempts are being made by some to project the election as a Dalit versus Dalit fight. It was from Gujarat that the ideology of Gandhiji spread across the country and the world. That is why I have come here to make the people realize that we fight for our ideologies,” she had said.

On Friday, Kumar is scheduled to meet state Congress leaders. Earlier, she had appealed to the MPs and MLAs, who constitute the electoral college, to vote in the presidential election as per their conscience, even as the numbers seem to be stacked against her.

SUPRAJA