Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders and workers paid glowing tributes to Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary and to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary on Thursday.
The newly-nominated office-bearers of UP Congress Committee also met under state president Ajay Kumar ‘Lallu’ for the first time on Thursday and chalked out a 10-point agitation programme to highlight economic recession in the country.
It was decided that the Congress leaders and workers would stage protests across the state between November 5 and 15 to expose the Union government’s failure on the economic front and highlight problems faced by the citizens.
Lallu and other Congress leaders, including former Union minister Jitin Prasada, gathered at the UPCC headquarters at Mall Avenue on Thursday morning and paid tributes to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 35th death anniversary and fondly remembered her contribution to national security, economy and foreign policy.
After paying floral tributes, the leaders organised a seminar on Indira Gandhi’s contribution during the freedom struggle and later as prime minister of the country.
The Congress leaders later went to Hazratganj and garlanded the statue of Sardar Patel at GPO Park as a mark respect on his birth anniversary.
Addressing Congressmen, Lallu termed Indira Gandhi as ‘Iron Lady’ and Sardar Patel as ‘Iron Man’, who spent their lives to ensure communal harmony and people’s rights irrespective of caste or religion.
The UP Congress chief took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party for organising several programmes to mark Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary.
“It is a matter of pride for every Congressman that the BJP is organising programmes to celebrate the birth anniversary of the former Congress president,” he asserted and highlighted how Patel opposed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as it was working to divide society on the basis of religion.
On the occasion, members of Congress Sewa Dal organised a blood donation camp while Mahila Congress members distributed fruits to patients at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Hospital (Civil Hospital) in Hazratganj.