Leaders pay tribute to Indira Gandhi on birth anniversary

12:14 November 19

Leaders pay tribute to Indira Gandhi in Parliament

Speaker Om Birla, Sonia Gandhi pay tributes to Indira Gandhi in Parliament

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, along with senior Congress and BJP leaders on Tuesday paid tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the Parliament on her 102nd birth anniversary.

Among the other leaders who paid their respects were Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior BJP leader LK Advani.

The portrait of the former prime minister was garlanded and leaders across party lines paid floral tributes to the late leader.

Earlier today, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh also paid their respects at the Indira Gandhi Memorial, where a gathering was organised.

"Blessed with strong and capable leadership and amazing management skills, iron lady and my dear grandmother Indira Gandhi, played a key role in establishing India as a strong country. I pay my tribute on her birth anniversary," Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

Born on November 19, 1917, to India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru, Indira Gandhi served as the first and only woman prime minister of the country from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984.

10:52 November 19

Visuals from Shakti Sthal, the memorial of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi 

Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi pays homage to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary at Shakti Sthal here. Former president Pranab Mukherjee, ex-vice president Hamid Ansari, Congress leaders, MPs and party workers also paid floral tributes to the former prime minister. 

09:45 November 19

PM Modi pays tribute to former PM Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary today.   

09:21 November 19

Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh pay tribute to Indira Gandhi on birth anniversary

New Delhi: Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday paid tribute to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her birth anniversary at Shakti Sthal here.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee and several other party leaders also paid homage to the late Prime Minister. 

"On her birth anniversary, we pay homage to India's first female Prime Minister, the Late Smt Indira Gandhi. Her will and determination led our country to great heights. Her contributions to India's national security, economy & foreign policy will always be cherished," Congress tweeted.

Born on November 19, 1917, to India's first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru, she served as the first and only woman prime minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984.

She was the second-longest-serving Prime Minister after Nehru and was well-known for path-breaking economic and social reforms, including the nationalisation of banks. She also abolished privy purses of the erstwhile princely states.

Indira Gandhi, who was hailed as one of the tallest world leaders, was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards at her residence on Akbar Road on October 31, 1984.

This came after Operation Bluestar was executed at Amritsar's Golden Temple, wherein Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to confront Sikh separatists who had taken shelter at the holy shrine.