New Delhi, March 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid rich tributes to Mahatma Gandhi to mark the 89th anniversary launch of historic Dandi March that took place from the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat in 1930. The Salt March, well-known as the Dandi March, which is believed to be one of the most important events in India’s struggle for independence led by Gandhi had begun with around 80 people, but scores of people joined in for the 390 km-long journey, making it to a strong force of 50,000 people.  Mahatma Gandhi Quotes on Martyrs' Day 2019: Remember The Father of The Nation With These Inspirational Sayings on His 71st Death Anniversary.

The Prime Minister took to Twitter and paid tributes to the Father of the Nation saying, "Tributes to Bapu and all those who marched with him to Dandi in pursuit of justice and equality". The Prime Minister shared a few thoughts on the Dandi March, the ideals of Bapu and his disdain for the Congress culture in his blog post.

Meanwhile, the Congress paid tributes on the anniversary of Dandi March and stated that the march was a non-violent protest against the oppressive British policies on salt. "Today marks the anniversary of the Dandi March, led by Mahatma Gandhi, which played a pivotal role in India's struggle for independence. The march was a non-violent protest against the rigorous and oppressive British policies on salt", the Congress tweeted. To mark this historic day, the Congress Working Committee meeting will be held in Gujarat on March 12.

The Salt March, which began from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat's Ahmedabad to the village of Dandi in the Gujarat's coastal area, began on March 12, 1930. Gandhi led the protest against the steep tax the British levied on salt. The 24-day Salt March, a non-violent movement, is historically significant as it led to the mass Civil Disobedience Movement.

The 24-day march lasted from 12 March 1930 to 6 April 1930 as a direct-action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly. The protest gained worldwide attention which gave a major boost to the Indian independence movement and started the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement. Gandhi had started the Dandi march with 78 of his trusted volunteers and they walked ten miles a day for 24 days.

Gandhi led the Dandi March from his base, Sabarmati Ashram, 240 miles (384 km) to the coastal village of Dandi, which was at a small town called Navsari to produce salt without paying the tax, growing numbers of Indians joined them along the way.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 12, 2019 10:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).