Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered Lal Bahadur Shastri on his 116th birth anniversary on Friday as someone who “epitomised simplicity and lived for the welfare of our nation.”

“Lal Bahadur Shastri Ji was humble and firm. He epitomised simplicity and lived for the welfare of our nation. We remember him on his Jayanti with a deep sense of gratitude for everything he has done for India,” PM Modi said.

He also visited his memorial Vijay Ghat in Delhi to pay his respects to Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Born in Uttar Pradesh in 1904, Lal Bahadur Shastri shares his birthday with Mahatma Gandhi. He was the second prime minister of India and served from 1964 to 1966.

Lal Bahadur Shastri died in Tashkent on January 11, 1966, at the age of 61, soon after signing the Tashkent Pact with Pakista