Jawaharlal Nehru birth anniversary: PM Modi, slew of Congress leaders pay tribute to former PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes to the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary. Born in 1889, the Congress stalwart remains India's longest-serving prime minister.

Several Congress leaders also paid rich tributes to  Nehru on his birth anniversary, with the party hailing the country's first prime minister as a visionary who laid the foundations of modern India.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi offered floral tributes at Shanti Vana in New Delhi, while several party leaders paid glowing tributes on social media to the Congress stalwart.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi posted a quote of Nehru, "What we need is a generation of peace" , and said he remembered India's first prime minister who greatly valued truth, unity and peace.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also paid a tribute to Nehru and hailed the contribution of farmers, soldiers and labourers while remembering India's first prime minister.

The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala hailed Nehru's contribution and said he played a major role in making India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal paid a tribute to Nehru, saying, "We are the children of our Republic he cherished and nourished. He built institutions of the future. He celebrated diversity that is our strength."

"We should worry that what he stood for is slowly being demolished!" he said.

The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, paid rich tributes to Nehru.

"A hero of our freedom movement, a visionary who laid the foundations of modern India, a nationalist who stood fearlessly to protect India's interests, an inspirational human who transformed the thought of generations, Pandit Nehru was a true son of Bharat Mata," the party said.

With inputs from PTI