Taking a break from hectic political work, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi will be in London when he turns 40 on Saturday. While all the Youth Congress presidents at district levels across the country will be hosting community lunches at dalit hamlets, Mr Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, on Friday left for the restive Bastar region to launch his week-long “Dantewada peace march” to mark the occasion.
Sources revealed that Mr Gandhi has reached London and would spend his time on Saturday, which is also his birthday, with his old friends. The Congress leaders stated that there is no official function to mark the occasion of Mr Gandhi’s 40th birthday. “Mr Gandhi is not in the habit of celebrating his birthday. So no function has been planned,” said a senior Congress functionary.
However, the Youth Congress on its own has decided to celebrate the birthday with community lunches in dalit hamlets. “All the district Youth Congress presidents will be hosting community lunch in areas inhabited largely by dalits. Though there is no official functions, these community lunches will be hosted in individual capacities by the Youth Congress presidents,” sources revealed.
Mr Gandhi was born on June 19, 1970 and is a second-time MP from Amethi in UP and is in-charge of the Youth Congress and NSUI.
Meanwhile, Mr Jogi, in his attempt to wean away tribals from the influence of the Maoist rebels, will kickstart his week-long “Dantewada peace march”. The 32-yer-old practising lawyer is leading a group of 40 youths to begin his march from Dantewada town in Bastar division and plans to cover 80 km to reach Sukma town on June 26. The peace march plans to touch Chintalnar, where Maoists had massacred 76 security personnel on April and Chingwara, where the rebels had blown up a passenger bus, killing 34 people, including 16 policemen, on May 17.