New Delhi, Oct. 2: Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew fire for not visiting Lal Bahadur Shastri's memorial on his birth anniversary today despite showing up at that of Mahatma Gandhi barely 200 metres away.
Among those who accused Modi of ignoring the former Prime Minister - who coined the slogan " Jai jawan, jai kisan (hail the soldier, hail the farmer)" - were Shastri's family members and Congress leaders, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Patel quota spearhead Hardik Patel.
"It's unfortunate Modi did not pay homage to Shastriji at Vijay Ghat, which is very close to Raj Ghat (Gandhi's memorial). Shastriji was the Prime Minister of the country, not of any party," Congress leader Ajay Maken said.
Since Gandhi and Shastri share October 2 as their birth anniversary, Prime Ministers have conventionally visited both memorials.
Modi had offered flowers at Vijay Ghat last year. Today, he paid tribute only on Twitter. "I bow to the proud son of India, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary."
Anil Shastri, the former Prime Minister's son and Congress leader, said Modi may have been busy but pointed out that it was the first time in 50 years that a Prime Minister had not visited Vijay Ghat on this day.
"It is the Prime Minister's choice whom to pay homage to. He could be genuinely busy. But this is the first time in the last 50 years that a PM has not paid homage at Vijay Ghat," Anil said.
Vibhakar Shastri, Shastri's grandson, said Modi "just gives speeches". "The Prime Minister just gives speeches and does not consider anything from the heart. If he did, he would have come to Vijay Ghat today."
Delhi chief minister Kejriwal posted a series of tweets suggesting it was wrong on the part of the Prime Minister to show apathy towards an "honest and simple" leader like Shastri.
"This morning when I went to pay tribute to Shastriji, I was told that this year the central government has stopped funds for celebrating Shastriji's birthday," Kejriwal tweeted.
Hardik Patel, spearheading the Patels' movement for reservations that has the Centre and the Gujarat government worried, also took potshots at Modi. "People talk big about Gujarat and become Prime Minister. Today, flowers are offered at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial but not at Lal Bahadur Shastri's only 100 steps away," Hardik said.
