Indira Gandhi's Legacy: Remembering India's First Woman Prime Minister on Her 108th Birth Anniversary

Indira Gandhi served as India's first and only woman prime minister, leaving a profound legacy on the nation's history.

New Delhi:

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid homage to her grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on the occasion of her 108th birth anniversary on Wednesday, highlighting her significant contribution to making India a nuclear power.

"Patriotism, compassion, strength, courage, dedication, and sacrifice - a steely personality forged from all these sentiments, which made the world acknowledge India's might. Made the country a nuclear power. Strengthened the infrastructure to fortify India's foundation," Priyanka Gandhi shared on social platform X.

She added a personal note, stating, "Grandma, you are my ideal, and in the form of the values you imparted, you are always with me."

In Parliament's Central Hall, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla joined Congress leaders in offering floral tributes to commemorate the former Prime Minister's birth anniversary. Notable attendees included Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, and Rajya Sabha MP and BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla were also present at the ceremony.

Mallikarjun Kharge shared his reflections on X, stating, "The exemplary and the dynamic leadership of Smt. Indira Gandhi, showing immense political courage, shall forever remain an inspiration. Her unwavering resolve and lifelong dedication to public service left an indelible mark on India's journey of progress."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his respects, posting, "Tributes to former PM Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji on the occasion of her birth anniversary."

Born on November 19, 1917, to India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru, Indira Gandhi held office from January 1966 to March 1977, and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984.

She ranks as the second-longest-serving Prime Minister after her father and became renowned for implementing groundbreaking economic and social reforms, including bank nationalization and abolishing privy purses of former princely states.

Indira Gandhi, widely regarded as one of the world's most influential leaders, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her Akbar Road residence on October 31, 1984, following Operation Bluestar at Amritsar's Golden Temple, where she had ordered the Indian Army to confront Sikh separatists taking refuge in the sacred shrine.

Often referred to as the 'Iron Lady of India,' she actively participated in India's freedom struggle, establishing the 'Bal Charkha Sangh' and 'Vanar Sena' to support the Congress during the Civil Disobedience movement against British colonial rule.