India opposition’s ‘unity march’ against hate enters capital
Associated PressNEW DELHI — Members of India’s main opposition Congress party and thousands of supporters walked into the capital on Saturday as part of a 5-month-long cross-country “unity march” seeking to challenge what they say is a “hate-filled” version of the country under the Hindu nationalist government. Flanked by his mother, Sonia Gandhi, and sister, Priyanka Gandhi, the 52-year-old leader said that the motive of his long walk across the length of the country is to revive the once-mighty Congress party and showcase the “real India” unlike the “hate-filled version” offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi’s party has dismissed Gandhi’s march and speeches as a political gimmick to regain his “lost credibility.” “The character of the Congress has been to break India,” the party said in a tweet Saturday. Even though the Congress party says Gandhi’s cross-country walk is mainly to reestablish an emotional connection with Indians, the march’s electoral ambitions are hard to miss.