As Congress leaders on Thursday took to social media to offer their respects to India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 144th birth anniversary and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 35th death anniversary, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi accused the BJP of 'adopting' Congressman Patel as it didn't have its own freedom fighter.

Also Read PM Narendra Modi dedicates decision to scrap Article 370 to Sardar Patel

Senior Congress leaders such as Ahmed Patel, Jairam Ramesh and others also tweeted about the two leaders and the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh took out a newspaper advertisement giving equal space.

“Sardar Patel was a stalwart of the Congress who was devoted to the ideology of the party. He was a close companion of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the country, and was strongly opposed to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological mentor of the BJP,” Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted in Hindi.

“Today, seeing the BJP trying to adopt him and pay tributes to him gives a lot of happiness, because two things are clear from this action of the BJP: 1. It has no great freedom fighter of its own. Almost all of them were associated with the Congress. 2. Even enemies have to bow before great men like Sardar Patel one day,” she added.

Her attack came on the day the government organised a series of events across the country to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

Supriyo hits back

Union Minister Babul Supriyo hit back at Ms Vadra, saying “This tweet proves that for you party always comes before India and two, Congress doesn't have a copyright over every second freedom fighter. Every freedom fighter is first an Indian”.

Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh drew parallels between the ‘Iron Man of India’ and ‘Iron Lady of India’. “Oct 31st. A day of celebration. Iron Man of India, Sardar Patel's birthday. Oct 31st. A day of anguish. Iron Lady of India, Indira Gandhi's assassination. Both not only had a huge impact on our history, but on our geography as well,” he tweeted.

Tributes to Indira Gandhi

Earlier in the day, leaders paid rich tributes to Indira Gandhi.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former President Pranab Mukherjee, former Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot were among those who offered floral tributes at ‘Shakti Sthal’, the late Prime Minister's memorial.

Remembering Indira: Sonia Gandhi paying homage to Indira Gandhi at Shakti Sthal in New Delhi on Thursday. | Photo Credit: PTI

Later, several of these leaders visited the Indira Gandhi Memorial, the residence of the former Prime Minister where she was gunned down by her own guards on October 31, 1984, to pay homage.

Rahul Gandhi, who is abroad, took to Twitter to offer his tributes. “Today is the sacrifice day of my grandmother Indira Gandhi. Learning from your steely intentions and fearless decisions, you will guide me at every step. My tributes to my grandmother & former PM, Smt Indira Gandhi Ji on the anniversary of her martyrdom,” he tweeted.