Lucknow: The Socialist Party (India) launches a foot march to advocate voting on critical concerns such as employment, food, and shelter while steering clear of caste and religious politics. The Yatra commenced at Acharya Narendra Dev Samadhi Sthal on the banks of the river Gomati on October 31st and is set to conclude at the Acharya Narendra Dev Teachers Training Institute in Sitapur, the birthplace of the esteemed socialist freedom fighter, on November 3rd. The Yatra focuses on honouring the cherished values of the freedom movement.

Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey, of the Socialist Party (India) who is leading the yatra said “The yatra is being taken out on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Acharya Narendra Dev, who was appointed the first President of the Socialist Party in 1934, he was a Buddhist philosopher and also a professor of philosophy. He participated in the freedom movement with Gandhiji. He formulated the principle of Indian socialism. The yatra is being taken from his Samadhi to his birthplace. The main thing is that the threat is lurking over the constitution and the democracy and to save it we are taking inspiration the values of the freedom movement, which are enshrined in the constitution by Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

Rajiv Yadav, a Human Rights and Farmer Activist said “ The aim of the Yatra is to take the socialist values to households and the Yatra is important because the country is being divided on the lines of caste and religion as we saw that a MP hurls communal slurs against a fellow MP in parliament. Yadav also highlighted that the socialist party gave the slogan of Pichde paave sau mein Saath (Backwards should get 60% share). Drawing attention to the dictatorial attitude of the state government he said “S.R. Darapuri, a retired octogenarian IPS officer was put in jail for demanding rights of the Dalits. He said the Bulldozer politics is being used to crush the rights of Dalits, minorities etc., and added that the yatra would convey the message of establishing the socialists values through the public meetings and plays.

Santosh Dharkaar, President of the Dharkaar Samaj, emphasized that the Yatra opposes the violence related to caste and religion, as well as the perceived constitutional threats by the Bhartiya Janta Party. He stressed that the Yatra aims to encourage discussions on crucial topics such as health and education. In October, the Socialist Party (India) under the leadership of Dr. Sandeep Pandey organized a Foot March, named Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia - Acharya Narendra Dev Padyatra. Commencing from Akbarpur in Ambedkarnagar district, the birthplace of Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, the march extended to Ayodhya, the workplace of Acharya Narendra Dev.

Acharya Narendra Dev: Amongst the forerunner of Socialism in India

Acharya Narendra Dev was a prominent Indian freedom fighter, educator, and social activist. He played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and was known for his commitment to social justice and education. Acharya Narendra Dev was actively involved in the Indian freedom struggle against British colonial rule.

Inspired by Aurobindo Ghosh and Gandhi, he participated in various movements and protests. Dev was a strong advocate for social justice and worked towards the upliftment of the marginalized sections of society, including the Dalits and the oppressed. Narendra Dev graduated from Allahabad University in law . He was a historian, archaeologist, religious scholar and a dedicated educator, who believed in the transformative power of education and worked to promote educational opportunities for all, regardless of their social or economic background.

His final resting place lies near Lucknow University, where he served as the Vice Chancellor from 1947 to 1951 before moving to Banaras Hindu University as Vice Chancellor from 1951 to 1953. His excerpts from a 1936 speech encapsulates his ideology “Our work is not only to end the exploitation by the imperialism but to end the exploitation by all those classes of the society which are exploiting the people today.”
The Yatra being carried out in his name will cover a distance of approximately 100 kilometers, but we can hope that the message of love and peace being spread through the Yatra resonates throughout the country.