Sonia Gandhi recalls Indira Gandhi’s work, says she reshaped country with policies dedicated to ameliorating poverty, inequality

New Delhi: Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi said on Wednesday said that Indira Gandhi as India's first and only woman Prime Minister reshaped the country with her policies dedicated to ameliorating poverty, deprivation, conflict, and inequality.

While addressing the gathering at the Indira Gandhi Prize ceremony at Jawahar Bhawan here. 

She presented the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2024 to Michelle Bachelet, who had served as the first and only woman President of Chile and is a former Chief of UN Human Rights.

Sonia Gandhi said, "The Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development was instituted in 1985 in the memory of one of the most extraordinary women leaders of our time. The award commemorates Indira Gandhi’s monumental contributions by celebrating women, men and institutions that have worked towards social development, peace, sustainability and numerous other causes."

The Congress.leader said that "it reminds us that even in the times of strife, there are those who fight for progress, justice and the wellbeing of humankind".

"As India’s first and only woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi reshaped our country with her policies dedicated to ameliorating poverty, deprivation, conflict and inequality," Sonia Gandhi said.

Quoting Indira Gandhi, she said, "She once said and I quote 'Peace we want because there is another war to fight- against poverty, disease and ignorance'. Her work reflected these beliefs, that everyone has the right to live without oppression, prejudice, poverty and violence. The breadth and depth of her accomplishments continue to be recalled and admired in India and across the world."

"As a leader with a compassionate heart, a deep love for her people, a fierce commitment to human rights and an unflinching faith in non-violence - her legacy continues to inspire countless people," the CPP chairperson said.

Highlighting the work of Bachelet, she said, "Former President Bachelet has seen at first hand, loss, oppression, torture and exile in her early years. It is a remarkable coincidence how both these two women were born and raised in times of strife. Their country, their people, their family and they themselves were victims of subjugation. Madame Bachelet found her way back to Chile, facing setbacks while also witnessing her country’s transformation into a democracy."

She said that Bachelet, as a trained medical professional, worked with the Ministry of Health, later serving as the Health Minister in 2000. 

"She continued to break barriers, becoming Chile and Latin America’s first female Defence Minister – and made history when she was elected President of her country on two separate occasions," she pointed out.

"Bachelet’s influence extended far beyond the borders of Chile and Latin America, when she was appointed as the first director of UN Women Agency in 2010 and later as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights," she noted.

Sonia Gandhi also said that Bachelet's work has been rooted in efforts to ensure the rights of all, but particularly of women. 

" She believes that gender equality is imperative to resolving all that afflicts our world. She has said and I quote, “We simply can no longer afford to deny the full potential of one half of the population. The world needs to tap into the talent and wisdom of women. Whether the issue is food security, economic recovery, health, or peace and security, the participation of women is needed now more than ever,” the Congress Rajya Sabha MP said.

She alsosaid that as President, Bachelet reformed her country’s healthcare system by improving access to primary care facilities, targeting her government’s policies towards vulnerable sections such as victims of sexual abuse, promoting their rights to good health and well-being. 

"She was also responsible for improving the conditions and treatment of women in the military and police forces," Sonia Gandhi said.

"Her far-reaching tax reforms resulted in more inclusive pension schemes and social protection programmes for women and children, and the adoption of quotas to increase women’s political participation. Legislations introduced by her government have done much to promote equality, rights and freedoms to all," she said, adding that so, it is indeed an honour for the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust to confer the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development- 2024 on President Michelle Bachelet who epitomizes the very essence of Indira Gandhi’s life and work.