PM Modi leads G20 leaders to pay tribute to Gandhi at Rajghat.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has posted a dramatic video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading G20 dignitaries, including United States President Joe Biden and the PMs of Japan, Fumi Kishida, and the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, as well as the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at the Rajghat complex on a rain-drenched Sunday morning.
"Honoring Gandhiji's legacy at Rajghat: Where Diversity Meets Peace!" Mr Gadkari wrote on X.
In the video shared by Mr Gadkari the Prime Minister is seen receiving global leaders wearing an 'angvastram', or stole, into which an image of the Sabarmati Ashram - which was Mahatma Gandhi's home from 1917 to 1930 and one of the centres of India's freedom struggle - was woven.
PM Modi can be seen explaining the ashram's significance and then leads the dignitaries, each of whom was given one of an 'angvastram', down the path at Rajghat and towards the Gandhi memorial.
The memorial itself was decorated with fresh flowers and there were wreaths positioned all around, with each country's name attached. The G20 leaders and the PM then paid tribute to Gandhi.
Some, like Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canada PM Justin Trudeau, were barefoot despite the rain. Others, like Biden and Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva - who takes over the G-20's rotational presidency from India - were among those wearing white slippers, or overshoes.
READ | Unexpected Consensus, Symbolism, A Barefoot Walk: G20 Moments In India
PM Modi later hailed Gandhi as a "beacon of service, compassion and non-violence" and wrote that his "timeless ideals guide our collective vision for a harmonious, inclusive and prosperous global future."
He also shared another video - of leaders signing on the 'Peace Wall' at the 'Leaders' Lounge' - and posted that, "The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi reverberate globally."
Nitin Gadkari To NDTV
Meanwhile, earlier today Mr Gadkari, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, spoke about the importance of biofuels in reducing world pollution and making India a carbon-neutral nation. The Global Biofuels Alliance was launched by PM Modi at the G20 in Delhi on Saturday, at which time the PM had called on other nations to join and set a global target of blending 20 per cent ethanol with petrol.
READ | "Biofuels Alliance Will Reduce World Pollution": Nitin Gadkari To NDTV
"The Biofuels Alliance is a historic event that will help us reduce world pollution in a major way," Mr Gadkari said. "Using ethanol in petrol is a major achievement, and it will be especially helpful for farmers, who can now sell their surplus crop to fuel stations."
With input from agencies