- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (2) paid tributes to two of India’s renowned politicians – Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversary.
Modi paid a floral tribute to Gandhi, called the ‘Father of the Nation’ at Raj Ghat, a memorial in New Delhi dedicated to the former who was assassinated by a Hindu nationalist on January 30, 1948.
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The prime minister said Bapu’s (as Gandhi is fondly called) principles are globally relevant and gives strength to millions. “Tributes to the Father of the Nation on his birth anniversary. I bow to respected Bapu on Gandhi Jayanti. The life and ideals of Pujya Bapu will continue to inspire every generation of the country to walk on the path of duty. His noble principles are globally relevant and give strength to millions,” Modi tweeted in Hindi.
राष्ट्रपिता महात्मा गांधी को उनकी जन्म-जयंती पर विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि। पूज्य बापू का जीवन और आदर्श देश की हर पीढ़ी को कर्तव्य पथ पर चलने के लिए प्रेरित करता रहेगा।
I bow to respected Bapu on Gandhi Jayanti. His noble principles are globally relevant and give strength to millions.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2021
Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in the town of Porbandar in Gujarat. Originally known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Mahatma worked against British colonial discrimination in South Africa in his early years and later did the same in his own country. His twin beliefs of ‘Swaraj’ (self-governance) and ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) continue to be major subjects of discussion across the world.
Globally, Gandhi’s birthday is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Several events are held in India and across the world to mark the occasion.
Modi also paid a floral tribute to Shastri, India’s second prime minister, who was also born on the same date, though 35 years after Gandhi.
Modi said in another Hindi tweet, “Tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji on his birth anniversary. His life based on values and principles will always remain a source of inspiration for the countrymen.”
पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री लाल बहादुर शास्त्री जी को उनकी जयंती पर शत-शत नमन। मूल्यों और सिद्धांतों पर आधारित उनका जीवन देशवासियों के लिए हमेशा प्रेरणास्रोत बना रहेगा।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 2, 2021
Indian National Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and Shastri’s son Anil Shastri also paid tribute to the former prime minister who died in Tashkent in the then Soviet Union in 1966, less than two years after becoming the prime minister.
Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, in the Mughalsarai district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He coined the slogan ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’ which resonated well with the masses and was widely accepted.
