THE Indian National Congress, which is the oldest political party in India and ruled the country for most part of its post-independence era, witnessed an awkward moment on its 137th foundation day on Tuesday (28) when its tricolour flag fell off the pole when interim president Sonia Gandhi was unfurling it to commemorate the occasion.
The incident, which left the party leaders and supporters embarrassed, happened at the Congress’s headquarters in New Delhi.
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Gandhi, 75, maintained her poise and along with party treasurer Pawan Bansal and All India Congress Committee general secretary KC Venugopal, displayed the party flag in their hands briefly.
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The party’s Seva Dal workers tried to string the flag back again but were unsuccessful. A ladder was brought in thereafter and the flag was restored.
The flag-hoisting ceremony was staged again after around 20 minutes and there was no eventuality this time.
Among party leaders who were present on the occasion were former president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who is leading the Congress in the key poll-bound state of Uttar Pradesh.
Earlier in the day, Rahul tweeted to extend greetings on the party’s foundation day saying it’s a party that had laid the foundation of India’s democracy.
“We are Congress- the Party which laid the foundation of our democracy and we are proud of this legacy. Best wishes on Congress Foundation Day,” he said.
The Indian National Congress, which had played a big role in India’s freedom movement, was formed on December 28, 1885, and conducted its inaugural session in Mumbai (then Bombay) from the said date to December 31 that year.
Lawyer Womesh Chandra Banerjee was the first president of the Congress which ruled the country uninterruptedly between 1947, the year India got independence till 1977, and in various phases later.
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