103rd birth anniversary of former PM Lal Bahadur Shastri celebrated

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) A grateful nation today paid rich tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 103rd birth anniversary.

President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Minister of State in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and several Congress Working Committee members, MPs and MLAs among others visited his 'samadhi' at Vijay Ghat here this morning.

His sons Anil Shastri and Sunil Shastri, were among the first who paid their respects at the 'samadhi'.

Later, in the Central Hall of Parliament floral tributes were paid at the portrait of the former PM by parliamentarians and CWC members.

At his residence, now converted into a national memorial, several cultural programmes were organised to mark his birth anniversary.

Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh, Defence Minister A K Antony and Home Minister Shivraj Patil were among other ministers, diplomats and parliamentarians who attended the function.

Meanwhile, celebrating the occasion as 'Kisan Diwas', the Bhartiya Kisan Union organised a rally at Vijay Ghat to offer their respects to the great leader who gave the everlasting slogan of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'.

UNI