New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid rich tribute to India's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary and called him a legendary leader who epitomized courage and scholarly zeal. The Prime Minister said Prasad was firmly rooted in India's culture and also had a futuristic vision for the country's growth.
"Remembering Dr Rajendra Prasad Ji on his birth anniversary. A legendary leader, he epitomized courage and scholarly zeal. He was firmly rooted in India's culture and also had a futuristic vision for India's growth," said Modi in a tweet. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also paid tribute to the first President.
"Tribute to the first President of India and member of the Constituent Assembly, Bharat Ratna Dr Rajendra Prasad on his birth anniversary. He was a great personality who presented an example of simplicity, service and sacrificial life keeping the importance of Indian values and traditions paramount," Khattar tweeted.
Born in 1884 in Bihar, Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India from 1950 to 1962. He was a politician and lawyer by training, who joined the Indian National Congress during the Independence Movement. He was an avid supporter of Mahatma Gandhi and was imprisoned by British authorities during the Salt Satyagraha of 1931 and the Quit India movement of 1942.
All India Radio will be broadcasting the annual Edition of the Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture on Saturday, December 3, 2022, in memory of Prasad.
The lecture series from AIR has been a tradition since 1969. In the past, former President Dr Shankardayal Sharma, former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, former Vice President M.Venkaiah Naidu, besides doyens of Indian literature like Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Mahadevi Verma, Harivansh Rai Bachchan are among those who have delivered this prestigious memorial lecture on wide-ranging subjects on India's cultural ethos and its strides.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will deliver the address this year from 9.30 pm onwards across the entire network. The lecture will be telecast on Doordarshan from 10.30 pm onwards on the same day as has been done every year. The theme of the year is "Amrit Kaal Mein Bhartiyata" which will coincide with the 75 years of India's independence.