For India Indira Gandhi was people's leader & PM, for me my teacher: Rahul

New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday paid tribute to Indira Gandhi on her 105th birth anniversary, and said that for India she was a people's leader and Prime Minister and 'for me she was my teacher'.

Rahul Gandhi in a post on X, said, "For India, a people's leader, Prime Minister. For me, my grandmother, my teacher. The values taught by you of dedication to the country and people are the strength of my every step, the strength of my thinking," he said.

Kharge in a post on X, said, "'Forgiveness is the virtue of the brave -Indira Gandhi'. Our humble tribute to India's first woman Prime Minister and our icon, Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary."

"In preserving the unity and integrity of India and making our country strong and progressive, he consistently displayed skillful leadership, true loyalty and strong willpower for India and sacrificed everything for the country. His life, his dedicated duty for the country and indomitable courage will always inspire millions of Indians," Kharge added.

Congress General Secretary (Communication) Jairam Ramesh in a post on X said, "Today the nation celebrates the 106th birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi. She was a most courageous, compelling and consequential leader who provided the political direction to the Green Revolution, decisively shaped our space, nuclear and missile programmes, profoundly reshaped the geography of South Asia, showed great resilience in the face of electoral adversity and returned to impart a new direction to our economy and always placed environmental and social concerns at the core of her governance.

"I have made an effort to bring out the different dimensions of this remarkable personality in two books that were published in 2017 and 2018. So much more needs to be written about her. She is indeed for the ages," Ramesh added.

Earlier in the day, Kharge, CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and many other leaders paid tribute to Indira Gandhi at Shakti Sthal here.

Indira Gandhi was the first and only woman Prime Minister of India. She became the Prime Minister in 1966 after Lal Bahadur Shastri's death.

Indira Gandhi, born on November 19, 1917, served as the Prime Minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984.

On Saturday, the Indian Youth Congress today organised 'Indira Priyadarshini Awards – 2023' to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On this occasion, National President of Indian Youth Congress Shri Srinivas BV said that the country has never forgotten the contribution of the country's first woman Prime Minister, iron lady Indira Gandhi.

He said that she took many steps to strengthen the country, she nationalised 14 private banks of the country through ordinance. It was the courage of Indira Gandhi which led to the shameful defeat of Pakistan in 1971 and the creation of Bangladesh.

He also recalled that Indira Gandhi abolished the practice of royal allowance and privy purse by amending the Constitution in the year 1971. He further said that in 1974, India was given a new strength by conducting nuclear tests under the 'Smiling Buddha Operation' and under the fifth five-year plan, the slogan was given to eliminate poverty and twenty-point programmes were determined to eliminate poverty from the country.