Dr Manmohan Singh, L K Advani pay tributes to Ch Charan Singh

New Delhi, Dec 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today paid floral tributes at the portrait of Chaudhary Charan Singh in Parliament to mark the 105th Birth Anniversary of the former Prime Minister who was an ardent patriot, able administrator, astute statesman and a champion of the cause of Indian peasantry.

The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Mr L K Advani, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel Affairs, Public Grievances and Pensions and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri, Chaudhary Charan Singh's son Ajit Singh, MP, former Union Minister Satya Prakash Malviya and several former members of Parliament joined the Prime Minister in paying tributes at the potrait in the Central Hall of Parliament.

The Secretary-General of Lok Sabha P D T Achary and the Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha DR V K Agnihotri also paid floral tributes at the portrait of Chaudhary Charan Singh.

A booklet covering the profile of the former Prime Minister, brought out both in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, was also presented to the dignitaries who attended the function.

Chaudhary Charan Singh's portrait was unveiled by the then President of India Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma, in the Central Hall of Parliament House on December 23, 1993, in recognition of his many splendoured contributions to the nation.

UNI