New Delhi: Former Congress president and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday said that Indira Gandhi was still remembered for her “indomitable courage” and “fierce commitment” to India.
“Indira Gandhi is still remembered for indomitable courage and her fierce commitment to India. Our country is founded on unity, not uniformity, rooted in inclusion, not exclusion, and sustained by harmony, not hate,” said Sonia, daughter-in-law of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, while speaking at the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development which was awarded this year to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Remembering her untimely death, Sonia proclaimed that Indira laid down her life in defense of national integration and secularism and said that she gave new hope to the aspirations of the weaker sections of the society. Sonia, also the chairperson of Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, credited Indira for her role in the space programme, Green Revolution and the establishment of India’s nuclear capabilities.
“Even as she established India’s nuclear capabilities, she was a tireless campaigner for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Her leadership in facing military and political challenges in our neighourhood is legendary. She is forever associated with the Green Revolution that made India self-reliant in food grains,” she said.
“She was an ecological visionary and she left an indelible imprint both in India and abroad. India’s highly successful space programme was launched under her inspired leadership,” Sonia said. Recalling one of Indira Gandhi’s favourite quotations, Sonia said, “there are those who work and there are those who take credit. Try to be in the first group.”
She further talked about this year’s recipient of Indira Gandhi Prize of Peace, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and outlined his association with Indira. Sonia also asserted that foundations of Singh’s success were laid in the Indira Gandhi years, when he served in the Ministries of Commerce and Finance, the Planning Commission and the Reserve Bank of India.
Calling Singh an epitome of integrity, humility, sagacity, and gravitas, Sonia said, “Dr Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister at a time when the country was on edge, when its collective nerves were frayed and when its secular fabric was under assault. Within months, his persona and policies had a profound calming effect.”
“The country once again had the assurance that the man at the very top was not a divisive person, that no group or individual need feel insecure. Over his tenure, he earned for India enhanced respect across the globe — not by seeking credit or kudos but by allowing his work to speak for itself,” she added.
Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development award was instituted in memory of Indira Gandhi which recognizes men, women and institutions from across the world, who have made a remarkable contribution in relevant fields.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]