'Creator of modern India': Cong pays tributes to Jawaharlal Nehru on birth anniversary
New Delhi (PTI): 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".
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh recalled that on November 14, 1949, India's prime minister was presented with an Abhinandan Granth as he turned 60.
"The Editorial Board for the preparation of this magnificent 700-page volume had some of the most distinguished names in Indian public life as members-- Rajendra Prasad, Puroshottamdas Tandon, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, K.M. Munshi, Govind Das, Vishwanath More, Nandalal Bose, S.H. Vatsyayan, and Lanka Sundaram. Over a hundred personalities and scholars from across the world contributed to the Granth," he said.
Governor General C Rajagopalachari's opening was very brief but was, as always, telling and conveyed much, Ramesh said.
"Then came the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who laid bare his heart and revealed the true meaning of his relationship with the Prime Minister. This was some eight months after the Prime Minister had unveiled a statue of the Sardar in Godhra," he recalled.
"There has been so much written by and on him that it is timely that the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF) has just announced its initiative to create a cutting-edge, multimedia digital archive. The archive will be launched on November 14, 2025," Ramesh said in his post on X.
Congress general secretary, in-charge organisation, K C Venugopal also paid rich tributes to Nehru on the occasion of his birth anniversary, hailing him as the architect of modern India, the visionary that laid the foundation of our republic, and the world leader who was truly admired by every nation across the globe.
"His unique role in our history, of being a crucial part of the freedom struggle and then leading independent India for nearly two decades, makes his contributions truly remarkable especially because of the values he upheld during his time," Venugopal said.
His unflinching commitment to democratic principles, secularism and welfare of the poor and marginalised was the hallmark of his governance and will continue to inspire us for generations to come, he said on X.
The Congress, on its official X handle, said Nehru, envisioned India's destiny and shaped it through his relentless pursuit of freedom, democracy and progress.
"He laid the foundation for a modern and self-reliant India, giving her the wings to reach for the stars," the party said.
"Today, we honour his unmatched & exemplary legacy," it added.
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Rajnath to top commanders: Outmaneuver adversaries with strategic surprise
Jaipur/New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday directed the top military commanders of the three services to integrate an "element of surprise" into modern warfare to outmaneuver India's adversaries and bolster strategic posture.
In his address at the joint commanders conference in Jaipur, Singh also described the Operation Sindoor as a testament to the "swift, precise, and joint response" of the Indian armed forces to safeguard national interests and called upon the military to remain ready to deal with any security challenges.
In their two-day deliberations, the commanders carried out a comprehensive review of the combat preparedness of the military in the wake of the evolving regional security situation.
Operation Sindoor was a demonstration of India's growing capabilities and a symbol of the nation's collective resolve and new military ethos, Singh said, a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
He also unveiled a 'Joint Doctrine for Integrated Communication Architecture' that is aimed at strengthening doctrinal clarity, interoperability and integrated communications across the armed forces in future multidomain operations.
The joint commanders' conference, themed 'Military Capability in New Domains', brought together the top leadership of the defence ministry and the three services to deliberate on emerging security challenges and future readiness.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on future warfare, multidomain operations, technological transformation and joint capability development.
The conference witnessed extensive discussions on cognitive warfare, cyber resilience against evolving quantum and AI-enabled threats, military capability development in emerging domains, indigenous innovation and AI-enabled warfighting concepts.
It was attended by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh among others.
In his remarks, Singh asked the commanders to remain "future-ready" by learning from the operation as well as the current global security landscape.
He underscored the need to strengthen capabilities in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, data analytics and secure communication networks to stay prepared in the rapidly evolving geopolitical security scenario. He emphasised that future conflicts will increasingly be shaped by hybrid threats, information dominance and operations conducted simultaneously across cyber, space, electromagnetic and cognitive domains, according to an official readout.
Highlighting the transformative impact of emerging technologies, Singh stressed on the importance of ensuring integrated national preparedness across all spectrums of conflict, it said.
Singh's remarks at the conference came a day after the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.
The defence minister appreciated the progress achieved in enhancing jointness, integration and technological adoption across the three services, the readout noted.
Singh said that jointness constitutes a pivotal dimension within the transformative changes sweeping across the global defence sector.
"Future wars will not be won solely through weaponry, but through innovative thinking and enhanced synergy," he said.
The defence minister exhorted the commanders to cultivate the "element of surprise" to remain unpredictable to the nation's adversaries and secure a strategic edge in any given situation.
He, however, urged them to remain vigilant of the element of surprise of the enemy and always stay two steps ahead.
Singh also reiterated the Narendra Modi government's commitment to enhancing the capabilities of the defence forces through state-of-the-art weapons and platforms. He added that special focus is being laid on research in niche domains.
During the conference, he released a documentary film on Operation Sindoor.
The film reaffirms the nation's and defence forces' commitment to operational preparedness and decisive national response capabilities.
Demonstrations of advanced systems and platforms developed for intelligence fusion, operational planning and information management were also showcased during the conference reflecting growing integration of cutting-edge technologies into joint operational structures, according to the defence ministry.
The discussions will contribute significantly towards shaping India's future military transformation and integrated operational preparedness, it said.
