On the occasion of the birth anniversaries of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla participated in several programs to honour their legacies.

To celebrate Gandhi Jayanti, Birla led the Swachhata Abhiyan (Cleanliness Campaign) at Prerna Sthal within the Parliament premises. He was joined by the Secretary-General of Lok Sabha, Utpal Kumar Singh, along with many officers and officials from the Lok Sabha Secretariat.
During the campaign, Birla stressed on the importance of cleanliness, urging everyone to make it a part of their daily lives and to encourage others to promote it in their surroundings.
Birla also paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Prerna Sthal. On social media platform X, the Lok Sabha Speaker said, “On the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, I pay my humble tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, seeker of truth and messenger of non-violence and peace. His entire life is a message of loyalty and dedication towards the nation. The ideals of Gandhi Ji inspire us to work hard for the overall progress of the nation and society.”
He added, “Humble tributes on the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji. He played an important role in the freedom struggle and in the progress of India after independence. Shastri Ji’s hard work and dedication are still an inspiration for public representatives and all of us,” while paying tributes to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Later, in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, Lok Sabha Speaker Birla paid floral tributes to both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri at their portraits. He was joined by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh, and other dignitaries, all of whom also paid their respects.
Birla took the opportunity to address students from various schools gathered in the Central Hall. Welcoming them, he appreciated their speeches and highlighted the importance of the values exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri.
“The lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri inspire all of us to dedicate ourselves to serve our country selflessly,” an official statement quoting the Lok Sabha Speaker said. He also spoke about how Gandhi’s principles of truth, non-violence, and morality led to India’s freedom and continued to guide other nations in their quest for peace and development.
Bringing focus onto the relevance of Gandhian philosophy today, Birla urged the students to adopt it as a way of life. “The path of spirituality and self-reliance shown by him will guide us to make India developed and Atma nirbhar (self-reliant).”
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to make India clean, he encouraged the students to integrate cleanliness and sustainability into their lives. He urged them to follow and adopt Gandhian teachings to serve the country selflessly,” the statement quoting Birla added.
Earlier in the day, Birla also visited Raj Ghat and Vijay Ghat to pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri.-ANI