Former Vice President Ansari, Sharad Pawar, MM Joshi among others remember IK Gujral on his 100th birth centenary

Former Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, senior BJP leader Murali Manohar Joshi and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar were among the leaders who participated in the event organised to remember former Prime Minister IK Gujral on his 100th birth anniversary held at the India International Centre here on Wednesday.

Gujral was the 12th Prime Minister of India between April 1997 and March 1998 and propounded the 'Gujral Doctrine' of five principles for maintaining good relations with India's neighbours.

Born in Jhelum (undivided India) on December 4, 1919, Gujral hailed from a family of freedom fighters and himself actively participated in the freedom struggle since 1931 and even went to jail in 1942 during the Quit India Movement.

One of his most prominent stints included his role as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting in June 1975 when then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency in the country.

He was then made Ambassador to the erstwhile USSR from 1976 to 1980 following his refusal to censor the news bulletins and editorials.

Gujral died due to multiple organ failure on November 30, 2012, aged 92, just four days short of his 93rd birthday.