Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were among political leaders who paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in the Central Hall of Parliament on Wednesday on his 150th birth anniversary.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Piyush Goyal, Prakash Javadekar, BJP veteran LK Advani, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad were among others who offered rose petals at the portrait of Gandhi in the historic Central Hall.
Sonia was greeted by Modi and Birla. However, there was no exchange of greetings between Modi and Rahul. The leaders later paid tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 115th birth anniversary by offering rose petals at his portrait in the Central Hall.
Earlier, a function to celebrate Gandhi’s anniversary was also held in the Parliament House Complex, near the statue of the Mahatma. Speaking on the occasion, Speaker Om Birla said that Mahatma Gandhi had led the freedom struggle of the country based on the eternal principles of truth and non-violence, thereby making it a peoples’ movement with non-violence as its core.
Birla also remembered former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary and said
Shastri had worked untiringly towards making the farmers of the country self-sufficient. Consequently, India attained self-sufficiency in food and agriculture.
Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Culture & Tourism MInister Prahalad Singh Patel said the Ministry of Culture would ensure that the ban on single use plastic is implemented at all important cultural sites across the country, before the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel on October 31 this year.
A demonstration of Charkha spinning was organised by the Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC). Birla and other dignitaries also participated in the spinning of Charkha and paid rich tributes to Gandhiji.
As part of the celebrations, KVIC is organising a three-day exhibition-cum-sales counter from October 2 to October 4, 2019, in the foyer near the SBI Bank, Parliament House Annexe, where Khadi dress, fabric and village industry products will be sold at discounted rates.