Quintessential Gandhian: Cong hails Lal Bahadur Shastri's contribution on his birth anniversary

The Congress on Monday paid rich tributes to former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary, with Rahul Gandhi saying that he empowered farmers and soldiers with his 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' slogan.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge paid floral tributes at the memorial of the former prime minister at the Vijay Ghat here.

In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "From land reforms to laying the foundation of milk and green revolution, from abolishing the third class in railways to providing seats for women in buses, from the 1965 war to serving the country with Gandhian ideas – our ideal, we remember the extraordinary contribution of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri ji." "The simplicity of Shastri ji's life, richness of his thoughts, will always be inspirational for us," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also hailed Shastri's contribution.

With the slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan', he worked to empower the two big selfless classes of the country, he said.

"The path shown by Shastri ji inspires us to ensure that all hard working citizens of India get their rights," Gandhi said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh hailed Shastri as the "quintessential Gandhian".  "He (Shastri) represented the noblest values in public life. His tenure as Prime Minister was brief but very consequential. He took over at a most critical juncture and guided the country firmly and resolutely, especially in matters of defence and agriculture immortalised by his call to the nation — Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. C.P. Srivastava's biography remains the best account of his life," Ramesh said on X.

The Congress, in a post on X, said, "We pay our sincere tribute to India's second PM and Bharat Ratna awardee, Lal Bahadur Shastri." "A man of simplicity, he gave us the iconic slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan!'. For his utmost dedication to the nation, we honour his legacy," the party said.

In another post, Kharge also recalled the contribution of former party chief K Kamraj on his death anniversary.

"Revered by the people of Tamil Nadu for his social welfare schemes, we pay our tribute to a great son of India, K Kamarajar.  "One of the tallest leaders of the Independence movement, Former Congress President and Bharat Ratna recipient, Kamaraj championed the cause of social justice, for he was the first one to launch the Mid Day Meal scheme, a catalyst to educate our disadvantaged," Kharge said.