No minister at Nehru anniversary event at Parliament

According to the Congress, no ministers attended the Jawaharlal Nehru birth anniversary event at Parliament on Sunday. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted that the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha were also absent, describing the situation as "extraordinary." "Can it get more atrocious than this?" asked the Rajya Sabha MP.

"Extraordinary scene today in Parliament at the traditional function to mark the birth anniversary of those whose portraits adorn the Central Hall. Speaker Lok Sabha absent. Chairman Rajya Sabha absent. Not a single Minister present. Can it get more atrocious than this?!" he tweeted.

On the occasion of Jawaharlal Nehru's birth anniversary, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and other politicians paid floral tributes to him at Parliament's Central Hall.

Derek O'Brien, a member of the Trinamool Congress, slammed the gesture, saying that nothing surprises him nowadays. "This dispensation is destroying India's great institutions, including Parliament one day at a time," the MP tweeted.

On the 132nd anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru's birth, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respect to him. "Tributes to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Ji on his birth anniversary," he tweeted.

Many activities are organised across the country to commemorate Pandit Nehru's birthday, which is also known as 'Children's Day' in honour of Nehru's affection for children. On Sunday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's Vidhan Sabha Children's Session (Rajasthan Branch).

On the other side, Venkaiah Naidu accompanied Union home minister Amit Shah to a skill development centre in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh.