Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh pay homage to Lal Bahadur Shastri at Vijay Ghat

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday paid homage to Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 115th birth anniversary here at Vijay Ghat.

Along with his family, Anil Shastri, son of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, also paid floral tribute to his father at Vijay Ghat.

To celebrate his memory the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Memorial Trust has organised a programme of devotional and patriotic songs on the birth anniversary of the former Prime Minister.

Shastri was born on October 2, 1904 in Mughalsarai district of Uttar Pradesh. He shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated today.

He entered politics at a young age as a satyagrahi in the Indian National Movement.

On August 15, 1947, he became the Minister of Police and Transport in Independent India.

Shastri, who is known for his major contribution for promoting White Revolution to increase the supply of milk and Green Revolution to boost India's food production, became the prime minister of India in 1964 and led the country during the India-Pakistan war in 1965. He coined a slogan that resonated with masses and was widely accepted -- "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan".

On January 11, 1966, he took his last breath in Tashkent after a cardiac arrest.