Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary.
In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Tributes to former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi on the occasion of her birth anniversary.”
Indira Gandhi served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She also handled key portfolios such as External Affairs, Home Affairs, Atomic Energy, and Space. She was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1964, later serving multiple terms in the Lok Sabha, including victories from Rae Bareli and Medak in 1980.
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and other senior party leaders offered floral tributes to Indira Gandhi at her memorial, Shakti Sthal, in New Delhi.
Born on November 19, 1917, in Allahabad, Indira Gandhi was the daughter of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru. She pursued her education at institutions in India, Switzerland, the UK, and at Somerville College, Oxford.
Over the years, she held several organisational roles in the Congress, including Congress Working Committee member, President of the Indian National Congress (1959–60 and 1978), and head of the AICC Women’s Department. Her ministerial career began in 1964 as Minister for Information and Broadcasting.
India observes National Integration Day on November 19 to promote unity and harmony, marking the birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi, the country’s first woman Prime Minister. The day is commemorated through awareness programmes and activities highlighting national unity.
Indira Gandhi received several national and international honours, including the Bharat Ratna, the Mexican Academy Award for the Liberation of Bangladesh, the FAO’s Second Annual Medal, the Mothers’ Award in the US, and Italy’s Isabella d’Este Award.
(With IANS inputs)