Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the
Amrit Kalash Yatra from Guwahati to Delhi as part of the “Meri Maati Mera Desh”
initiative.
CM Himanta arrived at the Guwahati Railway Station at
about 5.45 am, after which he signaled the departure of the Rajdhani Express,
which was heading for Delhi and carrying 270 urns full of soil.
The urns are scheduled to arrive in the national
capital on Saturday in remembrance of those who lost their lives for the nation’s
independence.
The yatra’s objective is to commemorate the martyrs
and heed the example they set.
As part of the initiative, soil was collected from
households in village and municipal wards in the State, and were put into urns
upon mixing together on Thursday.
Meanwhile, 270 urns have also been stored at the
Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati. It will be later used in the
foundation-laying ceremony of Assam’s largest proposed university in Gohpur.
The initiative drew controversy in Assam after the
Congress issued showcause notices to MLAs Bhaskarjyoti Baruah and Abdul Batin
Khandakar for taking part in the Amrit Kalash Yatra.
Baruah is an MLA from Titabor constituency in Jorhat
district, while Khandakar represents the North Abhayapuri Assembly seat.
The two MLAs claimed that the Amrit Kalash Yatra is a
part of the “Meri Maati Mera Desh” program, which is a state government
initiative and that is why they joined the program.
They also alleged that that there was no directive
from the Congress not to attend this campaign.
IANS
