Can't imagine India without Nehru family: Karnataka DyCM DK Shivakumar

Speaking at an event organised to commemorate the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the KPCC office, he said, "It is difficult to imagine India without the Nehru family. Indira Gandhi sacrificed her life for the integrity of the country."

"People still remember Indira Gandhi's assistance even after decades. During the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a 70-year-old woman walked up and offered cucumbers to Rahul Gandhi, saying they were grown on land given by Indira Gandhi. The elderly woman recently passed away, and we plan to establish a Bharat Jodo training centre in her honour," he shared.

Shivakumar noted Indira Gandhi's numerous welfare initiatives, stating, "Indira Gandhi implemented many welfare schemes such as pensions, housing, land reforms, and the public distribution system. She fought tirelessly against poverty. Sonia Gandhi has eloquently captured highlights of Indira Gandhi's life in a book, which we will publish shortly."

On Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's contributions, he said, "Patel was instrumental in unifying India post-independence, bringing together smaller provinces. Some are trying to appropriate his legacy, but history cannot be altered."

He further recounted, "Rahul Gandhi inaugurated the new building behind the Congress office on Queen's Road. I asked Mallikarjun Kharge whom we should name it after, and he suggested Indira Gandhi."

Shivakumar also clarified the ongoing commitment to the guarantee schemes, including the Shakti scheme, dispelling any rumours of their discontinuation.

"My statement has been misrepresented," he clarified to reporters at the KPCC office. "I only mentioned that some economically empowered women, especially those working in IT and MNCs, have expressed a willingness to pay for their tickets, as they receive conveyance allowances from their companies. I said I would discuss this with the Transport Minister. At no point did I suggest that the guarantee scheme would be stopped."

He affirmed, "There is absolutely no question of discontinuing any of the five guarantee schemes. However, we also can't impose them on those who do not wish to avail them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged people to voluntarily forgo LPG subsidies. I suggested that a similar approach could be applied here. As KPCC President and DCM, I assure that these schemes will continue, not only for the next 3.5 years but for five more years in the next Congress term." (ANI)