Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament from Gujarat Hemang Joshi on Wednesday invited Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to join a 'Unity March' when it passes through Vadodara city on November 29 and 30.
The Lok Sabha MP from Vadodara has written a letter to Gandhi, noting he should join the padyatra or foot march because this initiative is above politics and is being organised by the government in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent India's first Deputy Prime Minister who was popularly known as Iron Man.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel flagged off the 'Unity March' from Sardar Patel's birthplace Karamsad, a town in Anand district.
The Centre, along with the Gujarat government, is organising the padyatra (foot march) from Karamsad to the Statue of Unity in Narmada district to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
The 150-km-long padyatra' will culminate at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar on December 5.
"Through that letter, I have invited Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to join this yatra when it will pass through Vadodara. Gandhi is known for taking out padyatras during elections. This is not a BJP yatra. This is a national initiative and that's why I have invited him," Joshi told reporters.
The BJP parliamentarian, in the letter to the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, said the 'Unity March' is inspired by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will cross Vadodara on November 29 and 30.
"As a fellow Member of Parliament, and more importantly as a citizen committed to the unity and integrity of India, I extend a cordial invitation to you to join the march during its passage through Vadodara," Joshi stated.
The first-time BJP MP further maintained Gandhi's public life has seen several political padyatras undertaken in the name of connecting with people.
This Unity March in the honour of Sardar Patel, however, is above politics, Joshi insisted.
"Therefore, I believe your presence will send a powerful message that on matters of national unity, we can walk together irrespective of our ideological differences. Sardar Patel never asked who belonged to which party; he only asked whether we belonged to Bharat or not," emphasised the BJP leader.
"In that spirit, I sincerely hope you will walk a few steps of this yatra with us, not as the Leader of Opposition, not as a political figure, but as a fellow Indian committed to the idea of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' (One India, Great India)," Joshi opined.
The BJP MP urged Gandhi to appeal to Gujarat Congress leaders to join the yatra because it will prove to be a "great opportunity to celebrate our democratic values".
"Your participation will be welcomed with full respect due to your office (LoP), and I assure you of all arrangements for your security and convenience on behalf of our CM Bhupendra Patel. Looking forward to your positive response," Joshi stated in the letter.
© 2025