Nation pays tributes to Gandhiji, Shastri

New Delhi, Oct 2 (UNI) President A P J Abdul Kalam, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi led the nation in paying respects to Mahatma Gandhi on his 137th birth anniversary and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 102nd birth anniversary today.

Hundreds of school children, common people and politicians visited the Samadhi of the Father of the Nation at the Rajghat this morning to offer floral tributes.

Among the early visitors were President Kalam, Mr Shekhawat and Ms Gandhi as well as Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

The country is also celebrating the 102nd birth anniversary of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri today. Vijay Ghat, the samadhi of the late leader, witnessed a stream of visitors this morning, who paid floral tributes.

''Gandhi Jayanti is an occasion for all of us to reflect on the work and life of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi,'' Dr Kalam said in his message to the citizens.

The President said Gandhiji taught us to stand resolutely against fear, to understand the importance of truth and to work for the eradication of poverty, illiteracy and discrimination. ''On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti let us dedicate ourselves once again to these ideals and work hard to uplift 220 million of our brothers and sisters living below the poverty line,'' he said.

Parliamentarians paid floral tributes at the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri in the Central Hall of Parliament House.

Among those who paid floral tributes were Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Ms Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani, Mr Patil and MPs Ahmed Patel, Naveen Jindal, B K Hariprasad, J P Aggarwal and Nirmala Deshpande.

The family members of Lal Bahadur Shastri also joined the dignitaries in paying tributes to both the leaders.

At the Rajghat, an all-religion prayer meeting was held this morning for communal harmony and peace. Gandhians and students rolled charkhas, the symbol of India's freedom struggle, near the Samadhi to remember the ideals of one of the greatest leaders of the modern world.

At another function at Delhi Legislative Assembly to commemmorate the birth nniversary of Gandhiji, Assembly Speaker Prem Singh and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit paid floral tributes at the 'Dandi March statue' of the Father of the Nation in the precincts of the Old Secretariat.

The 137th birth anniversary of Gandhiji coincides with the 100 years of the Satyagraha movement he launched in South Africa, which became the cornerstone for India's independence movement. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is presently visiting South Africa, had joined President Thabo Mbeki yesterday in the Satyagraha Centenary Celebrations in Durban.

UNI AR/FZ SB HT1330