G20 Summit: World leaders pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat

G20 leaders, including United States President Joe Biden, United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and United Nations Secretary General Ant³nio Guterres, paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Rajghat in New Delhi on Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the leaders with an ‘angvastram’ or stole with an image of Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram in the background.

The G20 leaders paid their homage to Mahatma Gandhi a day after the forum added a new member and reached agreements on a range of issues but softened their language on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Some leaders — including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and last year’s G20 host President Joko Widodo of Indonesia — walked to the memorial barefoot in a customary show of respect.

The leaders stood before wreaths placed around the memorial, which features an eternal flame and was draped with orange and yellow flowers marigold garlands. The prime minister was seen explaining to the leaders the significance of the ashram.

The one reserved for Modi identified him as president of “Bharat,”.

Later, Modi said in a post on X that at the iconic Rajghat, the G20 family paid homage to Gandhi — the beacon of peace, service, compassion and non-violence.

“As diverse nations converge, Gandhi ji’s timeless ideals guide our collective vision for a harmonious, inclusive and prosperous global future,” he wrote.

As the first session began, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the group was adding the African Union as a member — part of the Indian leader’s drive to uplift the Global South.

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