Rahul, Priyanka pay tributes to Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday paid tributes to their grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary, saying that her sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the nation inspires everyone.

In a post on social media platform X, Rahul said: "Panditji's Indu, Bapu's beloved, fearless, brave, justice-loving - India's Indira!" "Grandma, your sacrifice for the unity and integrity of the nation will always inspire all of us on the path of public service," his post in Hindi read.

He paid floral tributes to the leader at Shakti Sthal in the national capital and shared a video on X highlighting her life achievements. The video said: "She was Indira, who dreamt of freedom... Indira, who holding Bapu's hand, stood fearlessly against an empire (British)."

"She became the first woman prime minister of the country with support from all quarters. She created a mass movement with the slogan 'Garibi Hatao' (eradicate poverty). She nationalised the banks, and with the green revolution 'Harit Kranti', farmers' crop produce increased. She scripted history by changing India's image from that of a smiling Buddha to a nuclear power. Winning Bangladesh's liberation war, she changed the geography. She fulfilled the promise of shedding every drop of blood for the country. Fearless, Priyadarshini, Indira.... India's Indira," it said.

Priyanka, in a post on X, said: "Your dedication to the country, your sacrifice; the lessons we learned from you and the traditions you imparted will always be our guide. Salute to your martyrdom." Priyanka shared the sequence of events on the unfateful day when Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

Recalling the pain and horror,  in a video said: "I was 12 years old and had a competition in the school. Our grandmother used to carry a bag and I asked for it. Then I left for school. After two hours, security personnel came to our school, rushed us into a car and drove us back home. We did not have any clue about what had happened. When we reached our house nobody was at home. We were terrified when we came to know that our grandmother was assassinated."

"We were terrified thinking whether such a great personality could be assassinated. She was a motherly figure for us. And she instilled so much patriotism in our hearts that our faith in the country was not broken for even a minute or a second," she said.

The Congress in a post on X said: "Tributes to  who sacrificed everything for the unity and integrity of the country." Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, by two of her bodyguards.

(With inputs from IANS)