Indira was first PM to raise voice against terror: Deputy CM

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and HPCC president Pratibha Singh paid tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and remembered her contributions to the nation on her 41st death anniversary here today. They also paid homage to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 150th birth anniversary.

Agnihotri, while interacting with mediapersons, said that Indira Gandhi sacrificed her life for the unity and integrity of the nation. “Being fiercely patriotic, she was the first Indian Prime Minister to raise her voice against terrorism and faced the challenge with great strength,” he added. She took several bold decisions and advanced the country in the nuclear field, he claimed.

Agnihotri said that the people of the state remember Indira Gandhi all the more because she had granted full statehood to Himachal Pradesh in 1971. “Across the world, she was known as ‘Iron Lady’,” he added.

Pratibha, while paying tributes to Indira, said that she had made a huge contribution to the country’s development and the creation of modern India. “Himachal will always be indebted to her because she gave Himachal the status of a full state and also paved the way for the construction of the Rohtang Tunnel in the tribal district of ??Lahaul and Spiti,” she added.

Agnihotri also paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary and remembered his immense contribution to the nation. The Deputy Chief Minister said that the Governor, the Chief Minister, Speaker and he had been invited to a programme being held in Gujarat in Sardar Patel’s memory.