Pranab, Modi, Sonia pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi

New Delhi, Oct 2: President Pranab Mukherjee,   Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on his 146th birth anniversary at Rajghat in the national capital.

On his early morning visit to Rajghat – the black marble top memorial to the Mahatma on the bank of Yamuna river here – Modi was accompanied by senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu and other central ministers.

Modi also used the occasion to re-emphasise in a tweet Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of a ‘Swachh Bharat’.

“Cleanliness was very close to Mahatma Gandhi’s heart. Let us reaffirm our commitment for Swachh Bharat and fulfil our beloved Bapu’s dream. A clean India will enhance our development journey and benefit the poor,” Modi said in his tweet.

Modi also paid tributes to late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary.

“Shastri-ji is remembered for his simplicity and integrity. His firm leadership during testing times became a major asset for our nation,” the prime minister said in a tweet.

“We remain eternally inspired by Shastri-ji’s clarion call of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ and are working determinedly for the welfare of the farmer and the soldier,” he added.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial set in sylvan surroundings. She was accompanied by former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad.