Kerala Governor, CM pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 156th birth anniversary

Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar Mahatma Gandhi

Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 156th birth anniversary.

On the occasion, Arlekar offered floral tributes to garlanded pictures of the father of the nation and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, both of whom share the same birth date, at the Raj Bhavan here.

"Governor Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, offered floral tributes on the occasion of the Jayanti of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Raj Bhavan, remembering their ideals of truth, simplicity and service to the nation," the Raj Bhavan said in a Facebook post.

Vijayan, in his tribute to Gandhi, criticised the commemoration of the centenary of the RSS on October 1, saying that the organisation was banned following the assassination of the Father-of-the-Nation.

"This is a decision that insults the Constitution," he said, referring to the release of a postage stamp and Rs 100 coin to commemorate the RSS centenary.

The CM, in a Facebook post, further said, giving recognition to the RSS on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti indicates that the Sangh Parivar was afraid of even the memory of the Father-of-the-Nation.

He also said that the "reactionary politics of the RSS, which fears pluralism and coexistence", is the exact opposite of the politics of humanity put forward by Gandhi, who was shot dead by "a Hindutva communal fanatic" because he stood uncompromisingly for democracy and secularism.

"May his memory always inspire our resistance against those who create division in society," he said, wishing Gandhi Jayanti to everyone.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan also paid homage to the Father-of-the-Nation, saying that Gandhi was a 'timeless example" for all freedom, survival, and anti-fascist struggles in the world.

He said that Gandhi was an idea that saw everyone as one and united everybody, irrespective of caste, religion, colour, country or language.

"That is why Gandhism is relevant even today," Satheesan said in a Facebook post.

BJP state chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 156th birth anniversary.

In a Facebook post, Chandrasekhar said that Gandhi's dream of an 'atma nirbhar Bharat' has been "reignited" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Today is a day to pledge our efforts and commitment to buy and support #MadeInIndia products as we continue our march towards a #ViksitBharat," he said.