Mamata Banerjee joined Congress leaders in remembering Motilal Nehru, former Congress party president and father of Jawaharlal Nehru, on the occasion of his 157th birth anniversary on Sunday.

“Remembering independence activist Motilal Nehru on his birth anniversary,” wrote the West Bengal Chief Minister on her official Twitter handle.

Remembering independence activist Motilal Nehru on his birth anniversary

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 6, 2018

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, too, took to Twitter to pay tribute to the icon of the independence movement.

“My humble homage to one of the greatest stalwarts of National Movement & former Congress President, Motilal Nehru ji on his Birth Anniversary today,” he wrote.

My humble homage to one of the greatest stalwarts of National Movement & former Congress President, Motilal Nehru ji on his Birth Anniversary today. 💐 pic.twitter.com/lXwRkzI4np

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) May 6, 2018

The Congress itself paid homage to Motilal Nehru.

“Tributes to Former Congress President Shri Motilal Nehru on his birth anniversary. He was a stalwart of the freedom struggle. As a draftsman of the Nehru Report of 1928, he laid the foundation for a democratic system with adult suffrage, cultural & religious rights for all,” the party posted on Twitter.

Tributes to Former Congress President Shri Motilal Nehru on his birth anniversary. He was a stalwart of the freedom struggle. As a draftsman of the Nehru Report of 1928, he laid the foundation for a democratic system with adult suffrage, cultural & religious rights for all. pic.twitter.com/plCF8G5kXw

— Congress (@INCIndia) May 6, 2018

Born on 6 May 1861 in Agra, Motilal Nehru moved to Allahabad with his family because of his older brother’s employment. He qualified as “Bar at law” from University of Cambridge and began practicing law in India.

He was twice elected as President of the Congress Party, once in 1919 in Amritsar and the second time in 1928 in Calcutta (now Kolkata).

Motilal Nehru is best known for the Nehru Report, which he presented in 1928. The report proposed a dominion status for India – a status currently in force in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The report was then signed, among others, by Subhas Chandra Bose but was rejected by Muhammad Ali Jinnah as well as some other leaders who demanded complete freedom.

Nehru died on 6 February 1931 in Lucknow. The Nehru-Gandhi family traces its lineage back to Motilal Nehru.