NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid floral tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on the occasion of his 117th birth anniversary at Vijay Ghat.
The Prime Minister also took to Twitter to pay tributes and said, "Tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji on his birth anniversary. His life based on values and principles will always remain a source of inspiration for the countrymen."
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi too reached Vijay Ghat to pay her tributes to the former Prime Minister. Anil Shastri, son of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, also paid tribute to his father on his birth anniversary.
Shastri was born on October 2, 1904, in the Mughalsarai district of Uttar Pradesh. He shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi. He entered politics at a young age as a satyagraha in the Indian National Movement. On August 15, 1947, he became the Minister of Police and Transport in independent India.
Shastri became the Prime Minister of India in 1964 and led the country during the India-Pakistan war in 1965. He coined the slogan 'Jai Jawan Jai Kisan' which resonated with the masses and was widely accepted.
On January 11, 1966, he breathed his last in Tashkent after a cardiac arrest.