(Image source from: })

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders of the nation paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, India's Father of the Nation. Top leaders of India paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on thursday, to mark his 145th birth anniversary by visiting and offering flowers at his memorial in New Delhi.

Mahatma Gandhi's 'samadhi', known as Rajghat was visited by the like of Vice president Hamid Ansari, former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu.

Venkaiah Naidu was among the first leaders to arrive at Rajghat. He was followed by Sonia Gandhi who was accompanied by Sheila Dikshit, former chief minister of Delhi. Soon after that former PM Manmohan Singh arrived at the samadhi to pay floral tributes.

PM Narendra Modi arrived at Rajghat around 7:40 AM. He made a brief visit to the memorial, where he was received by Venkaiah Naidu. Modi was dressed in a light blue kurta and a white Nehru jacket for the occassion.

At Rajghat, Modi offered floral tributes at the samadhi. PM Modi spent some there before leaving the place to attend to his other engagements of the day.

During the ceremony, an all-religion prayer meeting was conducted. Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymns were played at Rajghat on the occasion. Besides the political leaders the place also had a gathering of a large number of schoolchildren, foreigners and common people.

October 2 is celebrated as "Gandhi Jayanti" in India, when the nation pays tribute to the greatest leader of the country.

 

(AW: Pratima Tigga)