Leaders pay tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru on 55th death anniversary at Shantivan; ex-PM of India was imprisoned 9 times during freedom struggle

Several leaders from across party lines paid tribute to the first prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on the occasion of his 55th death anniversary on Monday. Top Congress and UPA leaders including party president Rahul Gandhi, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh were among the first to pay their respects at the Shantivan memorial for Nehru in Delhi. [caption id=“attachment_2840472” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Getty Images[/caption] Senior Congress leader Motilal Vohra and former vice president Hamid Ansari were also present. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter said, “We remember (Nehru’s) contributions to our nation.” Reportedly, an “all-religion prayer meeting” was also organised at the memorial. Nehru was Independent India’s first prime minister and held the office from 1947 till his death in 1964. He was instrumental in shaping India’s early years after decades of colonial rule. His leadership made the Indian National Congress a “dominant political force” in the country. Pandit Nehru, as he is fondly referred to, became the General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee in September 1923. In 1928, he founded the ‘Independence for India League’, which advocated complete severance of the British connection with India, and became its General Secretary. “In 1929, Nehru was elected President of the Lahore Session of the Indian National Congress, where complete independence for the country was adopted as the goal. He was imprisoned several times during 1930-35 in connection with the Salt Satyagraha and other movements launched by the Congress. He completed his ‘Autobiography’ in Almora Jail on 14 February, 1935,” the official website said. In August 1942, Nehru, who was a close aide of Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle, moved the historic ‘Quit India’ resolution at the AICC session in Bombay. Several times he was among the Indian leaders who were imprisoned for protesting against the British. In all, he was imprisoned nine times. With inputs from agencies