Guwahati: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a digital platform called ‘Satyagraha’, aimed at bringing together information on protests and public grievances from across the country.
The platform was launched around Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary and draws its name and stated inspiration from Gandhi’s principles of truth and non-violent resistance.
Announcing the initiative, Rahul Gandhi urged people involved in protests or movements to share details of their causes through the platform. The information submitted by users will be displayed on an interactive ‘Satyagraha Map’, allowing people to identify similar struggles and movements in different parts of the country.
In a video message, Gandhi said protests were taking place across India over issues including land, women’s rights, the rights of Dalits and OBCs, education and examinations.
“Truth is being suppressed all across the country,” Gandhi said, adding that the platform was intended to help organise different protests, bring them together on a single map and identify ways of supporting the people involved.
He said citizens could share information about who they are, the issues they are raising and the organisations or groups involved in their campaigns. The platform also allows users to indicate the kind of support they are seeking.
Gandhi said that, in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition, he wanted to help people whose issues they believe are not being adequately addressed. He said their concerns could potentially be taken up through Parliament, letters or other forms of support.
The platform is intended to create a centralised digital map of issue-based movements across India, with individual submissions appearing as locations or “pins” on the map.
The initiative comes a day after the 157th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, with Rahul Gandhi invoking the concept of Satyagraha as a form of peaceful resistance centred on truth.
According to the platform’s stated objective, the initiative seeks to connect people involved in different local struggles and make their concerns visible at a national level.