Celebrating the party?s 125 th Foundation Day on Monday, Congress leaders enumerated the achievements of every Congress Prime Minister since Independence?with one notable exception. There was no acknowledgement of late prime minister PV Narasimha Rao.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that it was late Rajiv Gandhi?s ?personal imprint? on the party?s manifesto of 1991 that had formed the basis of the economic reforms initiated in the next five years (of the Rao regime).

?Rajivji did not live to see the India of his dreams become a reality, but he left his personal imprint on the party?s manifesto of 1991. This became the basis for our economic policies in the five years thereafter. These policies imparted a new strength and direction to our economy and society,? Sonia said in her speech at a function to lay the foundation of the party?s new headquarters, Indira Bhawan, at Kotla Road here today.

She enumerated the contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh but skipped any mention of Rao?s name. Only recently, while the Liberhan Commisison had given a clean chit to Rao for his alleged inaction in preventing the demolition of the Babri mosque, differences within the ruling party on Rao?s role had been allowed to spill out into the open.

Speaking at the function on Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Congress is the ?only party? which can take the country towards progress and ?if the Congress weakens, Bharat weakens?.

Recalling former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru?s words that the country would get divided into small pieces in the absence of the Congress, Singh said, ?In some aspects, India today needs the Congress more than ever. Today, the Congress is the only party which can take the country forward on the path of progress while keeping it united.?

?There are many challenges like terrorism, communalism, Naxalism and regionalism before the country and only the Congress is capable of confronting them. This is because the politics of our party is to unite the society and the country, and not to divide them. Our party is ready to accommodate all kinds of ideologies within the Constitution? If the Congress weakens, Bharat weakens. Therefore, it is our primary duty to strengthen the Congress as a political party,? said Singh.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said that closer to our times, the one single individual who had had ?the most decisive influence on the Congress of today? was Indira Gandhi. She referred to Rajiv Gandhi?s vision of 21st century India and his imprint on economic policies that were followed from 1991 to 1996.

?The years that followed saw some of the most difficult moments in our party?s history. Doubts were raised about our party?s very existence. Nonetheless we soldiered on, anchored in our core values and overcame many seemingly insurmountable odds. Our tenacity and hard work enabled us to secure a fresh mandate from the people in 2004 and 2009. Since then Dr Manmohan Singh has led the government with great wisdom and sagacity, respected both at home and abroad,? she said.

The Congress president exhorted partymen to once again ?establish that the Congress is always for and with the people of our country and that the people look towards the Congress only?.

Indira Bhavan will be the third locale of the party headquarters in the past 125 years. While Swaraj Bhawan was the party headquarters before Independence, it shifted to 7, Jantar Mantar Road after Independence. The headquarters was shifted to 24, Akbar Road, a government bungalow, in the late 1970?s.