‘Creator of modern India’: Cong pays tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on birth anniversary

PTI New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday paid rich tributes to India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi saying his democratic, progressive and inclusive values are the cornerstone of India and will always remain so. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hailed Nehru as the architect of modern India and the one who took India from zero to the peak. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid floral tributes to Nehru at his memorial ‘Shantivan’ here. India’s first and longest-serving prime minister, Nehru was born on this date in 1889 in Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad (now Prayagraj). He was one of the leading faces of the country’s freedom struggle. He breathed his last on May 27, 1964.

In a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, “Respectful tribute to the creator of modern India, creator of institutions, first Prime Minister of India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, on his birth anniversary. Democratic, progressive, fearless, visionary, inclusive ‘? these values ‘?’?of ‘Hind Ke Jawahar’ are our ideal and the cornerstone of India and will always remain so.” In his post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, “On the 135th birth anniversary of ‘Hind ke Jawahar’, the architect of modern India, the one who took India from zero to the peak, the one who made India develop in scientific, economic, industrial and various fields, the one who constantly gave the message of ‘unity in diversity’ to the country, the fearless sentinel of democracy and our source of inspiration, we remember his unprecedented contribution to the country.” He also shared an excerpt from Nehru’s ‘The Discovery of India’. Priyanka Gandhi shared a quote by Nehru which states that fear is the foundation of all the evils in the world.

“When we achieved independence after decades of struggle and countless sacrifices, there were still people who used to play the politics of scaring and misleading the innocent public. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji fought them bravely and told the common people - ‘Daro Mat (Do not be afraid)’!” “People who spread fear among the public cannot be true representatives of the public. Public servants stand in the forefront with their heads held high so that people can live without fear. Pandit Nehru ji always taught the people to be fearless and serve without fear, and on the other hand kept the public supreme at every stage of nation building,” she said in her post in Hindi on X. She hailed him as “the creator of modern India”.