Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India]: Calling late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi a visionary and a forward-thinking leader, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said on Sunday that former PMs legacy included fostering women’s empowerment through measures such as introducing reservations for women in Panchayats and Municipalities.
Gehlot said, “I had the opportunity to work with former PM Rajiv Gandhi. when I was just 34 years old he made me the state Congress chief.”
“He was a visionary & took various steps for women empowerment and the development of the country. He sacrificed his life for the country as he wanted to establish peace in the sub-continent.”
Speaking to reporters, CM Gehlot said, “Rajivji was a far-sighted leader. He paved the way for women empowerment including 1/3 reservation of women in Panchayat and Municipals. He also lowered the age of voting to 18 years from 21 years. He took many revolutionary decisions”.
On the renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library as the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society, Gehlot said, “It is beyond my understanding. I never expected a Prime Minister to do this. He is the Prime Minister of the whole country, not a single party.
The thought is like denigrating the Constitution. PM is doing it either under pressure from the RSS or the BJP to erase the names of those who created history for this country.”
“What is the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party doing now)? They are bent on wiping off everything that has been done by the Congress party. They are making blunders”.
He said while speaking to reporters after he paid a floral tribute to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at Congress’s state office in Jaipur on his 79th birth anniversary.
“The ruling party at the Centre wants to forget those who sacrificed their lives and remained in jails before Independence…” he said.
When asked about his party’s strategy to win 156 seats out of 200 assembly seats in the state,Gehlot said, “I can assure you that people have made up their minds to repeat this government in Rajasthan .. People are supreme…”
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also paid floral tribute to his father, Rajiv Gandhi in Ladakh.
Rahul recalled a conversation with his father in which Rajiv Gandhi told him that Pangong Tso is the most beautiful place on earth.
“I remember, when I was small, my father once returned from a visit to Pangong Tso and showed me some pictures of the lake. He told me that this is the most beautiful place on earth. During the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, I was scheduled to come to Ladkah but because of some logistical reasons, the visit had to be shelved. So I thought of a visit later and a longer stay here. I will also be visiting the Nubra Valley and Kargil’, said the Congress MP.
Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other party leaders on Sunday attended the 25th Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award event in Delhi.
The event was held at Jawahar Bhawan in Delhi on the occasion of the former PM’s 79th birth anniversary.
Sonia Gandhi further said that Rajiv Gandhi was a supporter of the protection and conservation of polymorphism present in India.
“He was very sensitive to the fact that the unity of India can be strengthened only by celebrating religious, ethnic, languages and culture,” she added.
Earlier today, Sonia Gandhi paid floral tribute to the former Prime Minister on his 79th birth anniversary at ‘Veer Bhumi’ in Delhi
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Robert Vadra and Congress National President Mallikarjun Kharge, who arrived soon after Sonia Gandhi, also paid homage to the former Prime Minister at his memorial this morning.
