india

Updated: Oct 02, 2019 20:57 IST

President Ram Nath Kovind led the nation in paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary while Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were among the political leaders who paid tributes to the Father of the Nation at the Central Hall of Parliament on Wednesday.

“The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is an occasion for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the values of truth, non-violence, harmony, morality and simplicity. His message remains relevant for all and he continues to be our guiding light,” President Kovind tweeted.

Homage to Bapu on #GandhiJayanti. The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is an occasion for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the values of truth, non-violence, harmony, morality and simplicity. His message remains relevant for all & he continues to be our guiding light — President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 2, 2019

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu encouraged people to implement Gandhian principles in their daily lives. “As we pay reverential homage to the Mahatma on his 150th Birth Anniversary, let us strive to transform our lives by internalizing and implementing the Gandhian principles in our daily life,” the vice President said in his tweet.

PM Modi said the nation expresses its gratitude to Gandhi for his everlasting contribution to humanity and tweeted, “We pledge to continue working hard to realise his dreams and create a better planet.”

Union home minister Amit Shah said the country should vow not to use single use plastic on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Citing how plastics take as much as 400 years to decompose, Shah said the campaign to not use plastics has to be turned into a jan Andolan (people’s movement).

He said everyone should take at least one oath and urged the workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party to push for ending the use of plastic.

Flagging off a Sankalp Yatra in the national capital, Shah said every BJP party workers will undertake a ‘padyatra’ in their constituency for the next 15 days and cover 150 kilometres.

He praised Prime Minister Modi’s efforts to embody the values of Gandhi. Shah said whether it was as Gujarat CM and now as the PM has worked to walk the talk to make Swachtaa or cleanliness as a mass movement.

“Mahatma Gandhi was the ambassador of cleanliness and after independence, PM Modi is the only Prime Minister who has made it a mass movement,” Shah said.