PM Modi, Rahul, other leaders pay tribute to Indira Gandhi on birth anniversary
New Delhi, Nov 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other political leaders paid tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 101st birth anniversary Monday.
"Tributes to India's former prime minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi Ji on her birth anniversary," Modi tweeted.
Former president Pranab Mukherjee, former vice president Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, along with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, paid floral tributes to her at Shakti Sthal in the national capital.
Rahul Gandhi tweeted a picture of Indira Gandhi and quoted her, saying, "Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave. Indira Gandhi".
Rich tributes were paid to the former prime minister at a function in the central hall of Parliament, where leaders cutting across party lines were present.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Manmohan Singh, former deputy prime minister L K Advani, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel and other Parliamentarians were present at the function.
A booklet containing her profile was presented to the dignitaries who attended the function. It was brought out in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
Sonia Gandhi also released a book on her and her love for environment at the Indira Gandhi memorial. A large number of people paid tributes to the former prime minister at her residence and office, where she was gunned down by her bodyguards 34 years ago.
Later in the evening, Manmohan Singh was awarded the Indira Gandhi prize for peace, disarmament and development at a function at the Jawahar Bhawan. She was remembered fondly by many dignitaries on the occasion.
Congress leader from Rajasthan and former state chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the contribution of Indira Gandhi towards nation-building was "immense".
"Paying tributes and homage to former PM Smt Indira Gandhi ji on her birth anniversary. Her contribution towards nation-building was immense. Her great love for the country and dedication towards the welfare of people would always be an inspiration," Gehlot tweeted.
Paying her respects to the former prime minister, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the nation should work together to keep the diversity of the country intact.
"Homage to Indira Gandhi Ji, former prime minister of India, on her birth anniversary. National Integration Week begins today. As she did so wholeheartedly, let's work together to keep the spirit of 'unity in diversity' alive," she tweeted.
Congress leader Ashok Chavan also tweeted his homage to the former prime minister. Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala quoted Indira Gandhi, saying her contribution towards building the country cannot be forgotten.
"I cannot understand how anyone can be an Indian and not be proud. My humble homage to Smt. Indira Gandhi who lived and died in the service of the nation. Her immense contribution in nation building and preserving the unity & integrity of the nation shall always be remembered," he tweeted.
Indira Gandhi, often described as the 'Iron Lady of India', was born on November 19, 1917 in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rupee trades in narrow range against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee traded in a narrow range against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as the support from fresh foreign fund inflows was negated by trade deal uncertainty and risk-off sentiment.
Forex traders said lack of progress in the India-US trade negotiations and strong dollar demand from corporates and importers weighed on the local unit, even as Brent crude prices hovering near USD 60 per barrel supported investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.35 against the US dollar, then gained some ground and touched 90.32 against the US dollar. In initial trade it also touched 90.38 against the American currency.
ALSO READ:Rupee sees high volatility against US dollar in early trade
On Wednesday, the rupee recovered 55 paise from its all-time low level to close at 90.38 against the greenback.
"The PSU banks were the sellers of dollars on Wednesday on behalf of the RBI. The intervention amount could have been as high as USD 6 billion," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
"We expect the range of 90 to 91.00 on Thursday with 90.25 as support and 90.75 as resistance," Bhansali added.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent higher at 98.41.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.67 per cent at USD 60.08 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 114.06 points lower at 84,445.59, while the Nifty was down 41.10 points at 25,777.45.
Foreign Institutional Investors purchased equities worth Rs 1,171.71 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
