President Murmu, PM Modi pay homage to Gandhi, Shastri on birth anniversary

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 2, 2025: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday paid tribute (October 2, 2025) to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat and to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Vijay Ghat on their birth anniversary.

PM Modi said his government will follow Gandhi’s path for building a developed India.

He said on X, “Gandhi Jayanti is about paying homage to the extraordinary life of beloved Bapu, whose ideals transformed the course of human history. He demonstrated how courage and simplicity could become instruments of great change.” PM Modi said Gandhi believed in the power of service and compassion as essential means of empowering people.

He also paid homage to India’s second Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose birth anniversary, too, fell on Thursday (October 2, 2025).

He lauded him as an extraordinary statesman whose integrity, humility, and determination strengthened India.

“He personified exemplary leadership, strength and decisive action. His clarion call of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ ignited a spirit of patriotism among our people. He continues to motivate us in the endeavour of building a strong and self-reliant India,” the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi, who has been passionately promoting swadeshi, said buying products made by Indians will be a true tribute to Gandhi and Shastri.

Swadeshi is the foundation of a self-reliant and developed India, he added.

This year marks the 156th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, remembered as the Father of the Nation for his pivotal role in India’s freedom struggle

Born in Gujarat in 1869, Gandhi is considered the most influential Indian of his era as he shaped the country’s freedom movement through truth and non-violence, winning worldwide following.

Shastri was born in Uttar Pradesh in 1904 and rose to become the country’s Prime Minister after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru. His honesty and leadership of the country in his short stint as prime minister during which India fought a war with Pakistan earned him universal praise.

Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversaries, recalling their contributions to uplifting the downtrodden.

In a post on X, Mr. Radhakrishnan said that through his life and teachings, Gandhi showed the path of truth, love and selfless service to mankind. “His entire life truly was an experiment with truth.” The Vice-President recalled the words of Gandhi that people should contemplate whether their actions will benefit the poorest and weakest man they have seen.

In another post, Mr. Radhakrishnan said Shastri’s life and leadership exemplified simplicity and honesty.

He said Shastri’s steadfast dedication and moral courage inspired generations to rise above personal interests for the greater good of the country. Mr. “His wonderful quote, ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’, reminds us of the inseparable bond between our farmers and soldiers, the essential pillars of India’s progress and security,” he added.

Mr. Radhakrishnan said Shastri’s ideals of selfless service continue to inspire the nation.