GANDHIJI’S 150th Birth Anniversary : PM Modi, Prez Kovind, VP Naidu, MPs , Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla & INC President Sonia Gandhi Pay Homage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla; Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh; Union Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal; Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha) Ghulam Nabi Azad; Former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna. Advani; Interim President, Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi; Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Shri Rahul Gandhi. Besides several other Union Ministers; Ministers of State; Members of Parliament and dignitaries paid floral tributes at the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri in the Central Hall of Parliament House on Wednesday. . The function was presided over by Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla. On this occasion, several Union Ministers, Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Secretary General of Lok Sabha Smt. Snehlata Srivastava and many other dignitaries were also present. Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla said that today is a historic day as not only India but the entire world is celebrating the 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Shri Birla said that Mahatma Gandhi had led the freedom struggle of the country based on the eternal principles of truth and non-violence, thereby making it a peoples’ movement with non-violence as its core. He observed that the universal teachings and noble vision of Gandhiji have left an indelible impact on the lives of all Indians, as the innumerable lessons from Bapu’s life give us a new direction and resolve to conduct our lives. Shri Birla further underlined that Mahatma Gandhi was an ‘institution’ in himself whose philosophy consisted of faith, spirituality and culture and this is the reason that his birthday is celebrated every year the world over as the ‘International Day of Non-Violence’. Birla also remarked that on this day, we have achieved the goal of Swachh Bharat under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and should now resolve to end the use of single use plastic from the country. Birla also remembered former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary and said that Shastri had worked untiringly towards making the farmers of the country self-sufficient. Consequently, India has now attained self-sufficiency in food and agriculture. He further added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working relentlessly towards making the farmers self-reliant. Speaker Birla urged the Members of Parliament and the people to follow the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and to continuously strive to achieve peace and justice for the poorest person in the country. Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism Shri Prahalad Singh Patel said that the Ministry of Culture would ensure that the ban on single use plastic is implemented at all important cultural sites across the country, before the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel on 31st October this year.A demonstration of Charkha spinning was organised by the Khadi and Village Industry Commission (KVIC). Speaker Birla and other dignitaries also participated in the spinning of Charkha and paid rich tributes to Gandhiji. On this occasion, noted Hindustani classical music vocalist and Padma Shri awardee Madhup Mudgal sang Bhajans for the distinguished gathering. As part of the celebrations, KVIC is organizing a three day exhibition-cum-sales counter from 2 to 4 October 2019 in the foyer near the SBI Bank, Parliament House Annexe, where Khadi dress, fabric and village industry products will be sold at discounted rates. Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Ministers, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries also visited the Exhibition. Birla also paid his floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri at Rajghat and Vijay Ghat respectively in New Delhi.
