Today marks the 88th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March to protest against the British salt tax. On this special occasion, from the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind to Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee to Naveen Patnaik, CM of Odisha and others, dignitaries across the country are fondly remembering the freedom fighters who took part in this historic movement.

Salt Satyagraha, was started by the Father of the Nation, who was also fondly called as Bapu. He marched 394 kilometer from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi in order to protest against the imposition of salt tax. This movement is believed to have created a significant role in India’s Independence.

Gandhiji at 61 years, led the 78 Satyagrahis, who represented a cross-section of people from all over the country. Besides Hindus, there were two Muslim, one Christian and two Harijans in the Group. The 24-days march which started on March 12, 1930, continued till April 6, 1930. It was a direct action campaign of tax resistance and a non-violent protest against the British salt monopoly.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2018 09:31 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).