NEW DELHI, Nov 19: President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and top leaders of the Congress today paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 98th birth anniversary.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, party Vice President Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were among the Congress leaders, who paid floral tributes to the leader at her memorial ‘Shakti Sthal’ on the banks of river Yamuna.
Indira Gandhi was cremated at ‘Shakti Sthal’ after she was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
Other Congress leaders to pay floral tributes to Gandhi, included MS Bitta, Ashok Gehlot and Motilal Vora, among others.
While no one from the NDA government was present at ‘Shakti Sthal’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to pay homage to Gandhi.
“Tributes to Indira ji on her birth anniversary,” he tweeted.
A recorded speech by Indira Gandhi was played on the occasion, following which tri-colour balloons were released by the leaders.
Devotional music was played during the programme and an all-religion prayer was also organised.
Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 in the politically influential Nehru family.
The first female Prime Minister of India, Gandhi served as PM from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.
She is also the second-longest-serving Prime Minister of India. (PTI)
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