Partymen greet Sonia Gandhi as she turns 65
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Congress president Mrs Sonia Gandhi turned 65 on Thursday with leaders of the party and its allies visiting her 10 Janpath residence to greet her.
Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Virbhadra Singh, C.P. Joshi and Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs and AICC office bearers were among those who personally extended birthday greetings to her.
Among the first callers were DMK leaders including T.R. Baalu and Tamil Nadu chief minister M. Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi. "We came here only to greet her," Ms Kanimozhi told reporters even as DMK leaders dismissed any political motive to the visit in the wake of the controversy over the 2G spectrum allocation scam and the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.
Though the party had announced that the Congress chief would not celebrate her birthday to avoid inconvenience to partymen coming to Delhi from outside to greet her, party workers, particularly from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, gathered at her residence early in the morning beating drums and taking out processions.
The party workers, clad in colourful T-shirts which had slogans like “Our pride is mother India, our guide is mother Sonia”. They also carried posters of both Mrs Gandhi and her son Rahul.
Massive security was in place outside her 10 Janpath residence. The main entrance of her residence, which faces Akbar Road, was blocked and visitors including senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee had to walk to greet her.
Party workers from all over the country also celebrated Sonia's birthday at the Central Office of the party at 24 Akbar Road. Folk artistes from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu staged dances at the premises of party headquarters.
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