New Delhi, Oct 2 - The nation is paying homage to Father of the Nation-Mahatma Gandhi on his 145th birth anniversary on Thursday.

Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by former Kerala Governor Shiela Dikshit paid their homage to Father of the Nation at Rajghat.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan along with Minister of State (MoS) for the north east, external affairs and overseas affairs-former Army chief V. K Singh and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also visited Rajghat.

The leaders paid floral tributes at Rajghat - the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi on the banks of the Yamuna river.

A minute's silence was observed at the black stone memorial by all the leaders.

The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti across the country. It is also marked as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Mahatma Gandhi, born this day in 1869 at Porbandar in Gujarat, played a key role in India's independence struggle. He was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

Several functions have been organised throughout the country in Mahatma Gandhi's honour. Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch his pet project, Swachh Bharat campaign on this occasion. (ANI)