Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the Congress party paid tributes to freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak on the occasion of his birth anniversary.
“I bow to Lokmanya Tilak on his jayanti. He ignited the spark of patriotism among countless Indians,” Modi tweeted.
“He successfully mobilised people from all sections of society and deepened the connect between our citizens and India’s glorious past. Lokmanya Tilak also emphasised on education (sic),” he added.
PM Modi also remembered freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad who also shares his birth anniversary today.
“On his birth anniversary, my tributes to the great Chandra Shekhar Azad. A brave son of Bharat Mata, he sacrificed himself so that his fellow citizens get freedom from colonialism. Generations of Indians are inspired by his courage,” Modi said in another tweet.
BJP veteran LK Advani and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid homage to Tilak in the Central Hall of Parliament House.
Congress also tweeted tribute to Tilak.
“We remember Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He was part of the Lal-Bal-Pal triumvirate who represented conservative thought in the Congress Party. He is also famous for the slogan: Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it!”
Tilak was born in Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on July 23, 1856, while Azad was born on the same day in 1906 in Bhavra village, in the present-day Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
(With inputs from IANS)