In a first, 99 youngsters witness dignitaries paying tributes to Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament

NEW DELHI: In a first, 99 youths selected from schools and colleges across India witnessed dignitaries paying floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on Sunday on their birth anniversaries in the Central Hall of Parliament.

Out of them, 30 selected participants spoke about the contributions of national leaders in the development of the country and reiterated the principles and ideals of their lives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Speaker Om Birla and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were among those who offered floral tributes on the portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Shastri.

Also read | Education Ministry launches PM Modi's young authors mentoring scheme YUVA 2.0

According to the Lok Sabha secretariat, Birla said the philosophies, ideals and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri transcend time and geographical barriers and will remain relevant forever.

At a time when world was going through World War II and nuclear weapons were a real threat, Mahatma Gandhi gave us freedom through non-violence, said Birla.