PM, Prez pay tribute to Mahatma, Shastri
Urge people to rededicate themselves to Bapu’s ideals
Let us rededicate ourselves to the values espoused by Gandhi — peace, fraternity, harmony and inclusive national development
— Ram Nath Kovind
President
I pay tribute to this greatest soul that has ever lived. Our guide... He proved that non- violence can change history. — Antonio Guterres
UN chief
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on his 149th birth anniversary, urging the people to rededicate themselves to the values espoused by the leader and fulfil his dreams.
Vice- president M. Venkaiah Naidu also paid homage to the Father of the Nation at his iconic memorial here amid the strains of “bhajans”.
United Nations SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial and hailed him as a “great soul” and humanity’s “guide in our troubled world”.
Mr Kovind greeted people on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and urged people to imbibe the values he stood for. “Homage to Bapu on # GandhiJayanti. Let us rededicate ourselves to the values espoused by Mahatma Gandhi — peace, fraternity, harmony and inclusive national development. Gandhiji’s message remains relevant for all and he continues to be our guiding light,” the President tweeted.
The President, the vicepresident and other dignitaries also visited Vijay Ghat on Tuesday morning to pay tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary. “Remembering our former Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastriji on his birth anniversary. His integrity, wartime leadership and role in the shaping of the Green Revolution remains an inspiration for the entire country # PresidentKovind,” Mr Kovind tweeted. The government has planned year long grand celebrations to mark 150th year of Gandhi’s anniversary which would culminate on October 2, 2019.
Mr Guterres, later in an interaction with a news agency, denounced terrorism as a “plague” that affects the world, and highlighted the significance of the principle of non- violence espoused by Gandhi.
“I feel extremely honoured to pay tribute to this great figure in world history. Today ( October 2) also marks the International Day of Nonviolence. And, as we continue our work to advance peace, the way to realise the objectives is through non- violence,” he said.
Mr Guterres, currently on a visit to India, his first as the UN SecretaryGeneral, also laid a wreath on the “samadhi” of the Father of the Nation at Rajghat.