BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi. “The icon of ahimsa, Gandhi’s immortal ideals transcend the bounds of race, religion and country and they will continue to be our guiding force,” he said. The Chief Minister also paid tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary. The humility, integrity and high ideals of Shashtri represent the true spirit of India, he said and added that his golden words ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ will continue to be the guiding force to build a strong nation.
Paying rich tributes to Gandhiji on the occasion, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said that Odisha should be made self reliant in line with his ideals. Addressing a meeting of Odisha Freedom Fighters Association through video conference, Pradhan said that steps should be taken to record the role freedom fighters from Odisha in independence movement. The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) also observed birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at the Congress Bhavan.