Indira Gandhi’s critics too recognised core of her personality: Sonia

The former Congress president was speaking at an event to present the 2021 Indira Gandhi prize for peace, disarmament and development. NGO Pratham, involved in improving quality of education won the award.

Even late prime minister Indira Gandhi’s critics recognized the “unchanging core of her personality that defined who she was and what she did”, said former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the occasion of the 105th birth anniversary of the leader, on Saturday.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi paid floral tributes on the memorial of the late PM Indira Gandhi on her 105th birth anniversary at Shakti Sthal in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav/HT)

The former Congress president was speaking at an event to present the 2021 Indira Gandhi prize for peace, disarmament and development. NGO Pratham, involved in improving quality of education won the award.

Sonia said: Indira was fiercely committed to “all-inclusive patriotism; her staunch secularism; her indomitable courage and fortitude; her empathy for the poor and instinctive rapport with the people.”

The former Congress president also hailed Indira’s “unwavering support to self-reliance in all fields, especially in science and technology; her firm belief in the value of education as an instrument of social emancipation and empowerment; and her passionate conviction in environmental conservation and protection of biodiversity, even as India strove for a faster pace of economic growth.”

Sonia’s remarks to highlight Indira’s legacy comes against the backdrop of criticism against the Nehru-Gandhi family and dynasty politics. “Indira Gandhi left an indelible imprint on our country. She continues to be applauded and admired for her numerous achievements,” she was reported as saying by PTI.

Sonia hailed Pratham as a “remarkable institution” that in less than thirty years has “made a name for itself in the field of education, not only in India but globally as well.” The Indira Gandhi Prize is given to people whose works have exemplified Indira’s ideals and causes.