Ahead of participating in the concluding session of the G20 Summit, focussed on ‘One Future’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi led G20 leaders to Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on a rain-drenched Sunday morning Sunday.
Modi received the leaders one by one, welcoming them at the memorial with a Khadi angavastram or a stole, standing against the backdrop of an image of Bapu Kuti.
Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram which was his home from 1917 to 1930 and served as one of the main centres of India’s freedom struggle and explained about Sabarmati Ashram in the background.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, IMF head Kristalina Georgieva, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong were among the first to reach the venue this morning.
Some leaders — including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and last year’s G20 host President Joko Widodo of Indonesia — walked to the memorial barefoot in a customary show of respect. The leaders stood before wreaths placed around the memorial, which features an eternal flame and was draped with orange and yellow flowers marigold garlands.
The Prime Minister was seen explaining to the leaders the significance of the ashram.
Among those who paid tribute to Gandhi include US President Joe Biden, Italian PM Georgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Lula De Silva, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishia, among others, besides a host of leaders from international organisations such as World Bank Chief Ajay Banga.
However, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan could not be seen.
Later, Modi said in a post on X that at the iconic Rajghat, the G20 family paid homage to Gandhi — the beacon of peace, service, compassion and non-violence. “As diverse nations converge, Gandhi’s timeless ideals guide our collective vision for a harmonious, inclusive and prosperous global future,” he wrote.
Visuals from Rajghat showed the venue decorated with colourful flowers as the leaders reached there. Security has also been stepped up in parts of the national capital in view of the G20 Summit.
Necessary arrangements were also made so as to keep the traffic smooth.