‘Indira Gandhi was most powerful Prime Minister of India’: NCP leader Sharad Pawar
2 min read 23 Jun 2023, 06:30 AM ISTNCP leader Sharad Pawar praised former Indian PM Indira Gandhi as the country's ‘most powerful’ leader, citing her self-respect and assertiveness on the international stage.
PremiumNationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar has described former Prime Minster of India, Indira Gandhi, as 'powerful' and strongest'. Heaping praises on India's only female PM, Pawar said, "If someone asks who is the most powerful Prime Minister in the country, the answer would undoubtedly be Indira Gandhi".
Pawar made these remarks on Thursday at a function in Pune, organized by the Yashwantrao Chavan Centre, where women from various fields were felicitated.
The veteran politician added that Indira Gandhi instilled a sense of pride in the nation and demonstrated strength and self-respect, even on the international stage, particularly during her visit to Russia.
Sharing an anecdote of Indira's Gandhi visit to Russia, Pawar said, " In one of the incidents, Indira Gandhi was welcomed by a junior minister in Russia instead of her counterpart. Expressing her displeasure over the breach of protocol, Gandhi decided to stay at the Indian ambassador's residence instead of the designated accommodation for her visit. She took her car to the Ambassador's residence from Moscow airport. After reaching the Ambassador's residence, she was calm and asked officers to gather all the kids who are staying nearby and started playing with them".
Pawar said that after this incident, the then Prime Minister of Russia realized that they have made a mistake by not following the protocol. He [then Russian PM] himself went to meet Indira Gandhi and expressed his views on the incidents. Later Indira Gandhi responded to her Russian counterpart saying, "This is not the matter of her pride this is the matter of pride of our 80 crore Indian citizens whom I represent, this incident is an example of Gandhi's assertiveness and her commitment to upholding the country's self-esteem and this happened she was the powerful PM of the country," Pawar added.
The NCP supremo's remarks came while Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his first-ever state visit to the United States.
Further, Pawar spoke about he and his party have come forward for women's empowerment. "When I, as Maharashtra chief minister, introduced a bill granting women an equal share in family property, I faced resistance within the party, but I brought male colleagues around to his view and went ahead with the decision", the NCP chief said.
Similarly, when he was defense minister, he pressed ahead with the decision to induct women into the armed forces despite opposition from some quarters, the 82-year-old politician said.
Pawar's NCP is an ally of Congress in Maharashtra. NCP formed a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance with Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra in 2019 to put BJP away from power in the state.
