Bhubaneswar: Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee observed the 39th death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by garlanding her statue at Congress Bhawan and IG Park in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
Odisha Pradesh Youth Congress also conducted a blood donation camp on the occasion.
39 years ago, India’s only woman Prime Minister was assassinated by her own security guards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, who fired over 30 bullets at her from point blank range, purportedly to avenge the humiliation of Sikhs and the desecration of the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star in June that year.
Notably, Indira had spent the penultimate day of her life in the quiet state of Odisha and addressed a massive rally at the IG Park, which was then a patch of green and called the parade ground. Tens of thousands had gathered to hear Indira Gandhi deliver her “blood and unity” speech on October 30, 1984. She was draped in a printed saree with solid borders and a full-sleeved blouse.
“Today, we mark the 39th anniversary of Indira Gandhi’s martyrdom. On October 27, 1984 she fulfilled her long-cherished desire to see first-hand the chinar trees in Srinagar exploding into a spray of colours. She also visited her favourite Dachigam National Park and returned to Delhi on the night of October 28, 1984 when she wrote a foreword to a book by her ministerial colleague, Digvijay Sinh on environmental politics called ‘The Eco-Vote’. This was perhaps the last written record of her as Prime Minister. She then went to Odisha where on the evening of Oct 30, 1984 she made her hauntingly famous speech. The next morning she was hurled into eternity,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh posted on X.
It was in Bhubaneswar that Indira spoke of what in retrospect appears to be a premonition of her own death.
HER SPEECH
“I am here today, I may not be here tomorrow. But the responsibility to look after national interest is on the shoulder of every citizen of India. I have often mentioned this earlier. Nobody knows how many attempts have been made to shoot me, lathis have been used to beat me. In Bhubaneswar itself, a brickbat hit me. They have attacked me in every possible manner. I do not care whether I live or die. I have lived a long life and I am proud that I spend the whole of my life in the service of my people. I am only proud of this and nothing else. I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when I die, I can say, that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it.”
The state government later converted the ground into a park in her memory.
Prior to the meeting at the state capital, the Congress leader had addressed a gathering in Pasta village, 20 km from here.
