Congress celebrates 126th foundation day

The Indian National Congress on Tuesday celebrated its 126th foundation day as the party continued to taste electoral success and remained the country?s ruling power for the better period of independent India.

Party chief Sonia Gandhi unfurled the party flag at the headquarter here, with top Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Cabinet colleagues in attendance.

Those present at the function included Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony, S Jaipal Reddy, Kapil Sibal and Sachin Pilot and Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit,

Gandhi also laid the foundation for the new party headquater in the national capital.

The prime minister and the Congress president later distributed sweets to children.

A series of welfare programmes have been lined up to mark the day.

The INC was founded by Englishman Allan Octavio Hume, a noted ornithologist and a civil servant in British India, in 1885.