New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, among others, paid floral tributes to the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at the Samvidhan Sadan here on Friday.
Among those who paid tributes to the two leaders were Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, J P Nadda, Kiren Rijiju, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin and others.
The function was attended by the students of several schools with whom the prime minister, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, among others, interacted.
Later, addressing the school students at the Central Hall of the Samvidhan Sadan (old Parliament House) under the “Know Your Leader” programme, Birla said he felt that the present generation is imbibing the life philosophy of Gandhi and Shastri.
“It was a great satisfaction to hear about their profound thoughts on truth, non-violence and satyagraha,” he said.
Birla asked the students to place devotion to the country above everything else.
“A common message is clearly visible in the lives of Gandhiji and Shastriji — the nation comes first. Fulfilling our duties with honesty, understanding our responsibility towards the society and the country, and linking every action of ours to the national interest is our true tribute to them,” he said.
The speaker said young students should not return from this historic central hall carrying only the memories of great leaders, but should leave with a resolve to make their thoughts and ideals a part of their lives.
“A developed India is not just a goal, but a dream that will be fulfilled by the collective resolve and hard work of crores of Indians,” he said.
Birla said to realise this dream, youngsters will have to move forward in their respective fields with excellence, innovation, discipline and a spirit of national service.
“Let us take a pledge, drawing inspiration from Gandhiji’s ideals of truth, non-violence and humanity, as well as Shastriji’s simplicity, duty-consciousness and national service, that with every effort of ours, we will contribute to making India stronger, self-reliant, prosperous and developed,” he said.
