Congress leaders pay tributes to Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary in Jammu

Jammu, Oct 31 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday paid tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi across the Jammu region, including the city, various districts, and block headquarters, on the 40th anniversary of her death.

The main event was held at Congress headquarters under the chairmanship of Jammu and Kashmir Congress working president Raman Bhalla.

Rich tributes were also paid to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first deputy prime minister and home minister, and one of the greatest stalwarts of the country, on his birth anniversary on Thursday, a Congress spokesperson said.

Patel’s contributions to the freedom struggle and his role in strengthening and consolidating the country after independence were remembered, the spokesperson said.

Bhalla offered floral tributes to Indira Gandhi at the Congress headquarters. He said that Gandhi made history by providing able and dynamic leadership to the country and was recognised worldwide as a strong and visionary leader.

“She will always be remembered as a leader of the masses, with a strong commitment to the upliftment of the poor and downtrodden and a devotion to the cause of the nation. She never succumbed to any pressures at the cost of the nation’s unity and integrity,” he said.

Congress leader Mula Ram recalled Gandhi’s contributions, including the Shimla Agreement, which binds Pakistan to settle all outstanding issues with India, including Kashmir, through bilateral means. He also highlighted her role in strengthening the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and liberating Bangladesh, for which her leadership was commended by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who compared her to Goddess Durga.

He emphasised that Congress members should remain committed to and uphold the principles for which she lived and sacrificed her life.

The then-prime minister was assassinated by her bodyguards on this day in 1984. Indira Gandhi was India’s first woman prime minister.

J&K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma, referring to attempts by “certain forces to distort history”, underlined the significant contributions of the Nehru-Gandhi leadership and the Congress party’s role over time.

He said it is time to fully understand the role of Congress and its leadership on various fronts and counter those “spreading falsehoods”.