CM, Governor pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on social media on his 148th birth anniversary with people from different parts of the state taking part in various programmes paying their respect to the Father of the Nation.

"Homage to the Father of the Nation on his birth anniversary," Banerjee wrote on her Twitter handle.

Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Monday also paid floral tributes to Gandhi at Gandhi Ghat on the banks of the Hooghly in Barrackpore. He was joined by Chief Secretary Malay De and Bratya Basu. Tripathi also took part in some of the rituals performed there to pay homage to the Father of the Nation. Various school children read out some of the portions from Gandhi's writings. Like previous years, Gandhi Ghat was beautifully decorated for Monday's programme. School children from North 24-Parganas participated in various programmes.

The Governor said Gandhi is equally relevant in modern times because of his doctrines of non-violence and his message of peace. In Kolkata, the Governor garlanded the Gandhi statue at Maidan, where he was joined by state Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress MP Idris Ali. Tripathi reached the Gandhi statue at around 12 pm. Mukherjee said the state government is also organising various programmes throughout Bengal to observe Gandhi Jayanti.