On Manmohan birth anniversary, Congress opens library named after him at its Delhi office

The library contains around 1,200 books which narrate the journey of the country and the Congress. It has separate sections for books on Mahatma Gandhi and India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Besides Dr Singh, there are separate sections for Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. There are also books on former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao.

The collection includes some books on leaders from other parties, including former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“Today, on the occasion of Dr. Manmohan Singh ji’s birthday, we inaugurated the Dr. Manmohan Singh Research Centre and Library at Indira Bhawan, New Delhi. Dr. Singh’s life and work are a beacon of simplicity, honesty, and dedication,” said Rahul Gandhi in a social media post. “This centre is not just a tribute to his legacy but a reminder for future generations of what true service to the nation looks like.”

Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi attends the inauguration of the Dr Manmohan Singh Research Centre and Library at Indira Bhawan, in New Delhi on Friday. (AICC/ANI Photo)

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “Today on the occasion of the 93rd birth anniversary of Dr Manmohan Singh, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi ji inaugurated the Dr Manmohan Singh Research Center and Library in the presence of Gursharan Kaur ji.”

The library houses biographies, selected works and selected speeches of many freedom fighters. It also has books on diplomacy and country-specific books on their bilateral ties with India.

An interesting section houses several volumes of “The Encyclopedia of the Indian National Congress” that consists of the entire history of the party since 1885, including commentaries, speeches and minutes of Congress Working Committee meetings. This encyclopedia has been compiled by a librarian from the party’s office at 5, Rajendra Prasad Road — Abdul Moin Zaidi — and his wife Shahida Gufran Zaidi.

There are several books by Zaidi, documenting the 139-year history of the party.

The library also has manifestoes of the party from all general elections since 1951-52.

It has historic pictures — from Nehru and VK Krishna Menon walking together to founding leaders of the Congress — A O Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji and William Wedderburn — in one frame.

Several books written by P Chidambaram, Shashi Tharoor, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid, are also part of the library.

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