AHMEDABAD: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday visited Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace in Gujarat's Porbandar and offered prayers at two temples in Dwarka during his one-day visit to the state.
His visit to Gujarat comes on the day polling to elect the next Vice President is underway.
The outgoing Vice President and his wife Usha Naidu arrived at Jamnagar Air Force Station, where Gujarat governor Acharya Devvrat and chief minister Bhupendra Patel received them. From there, the Naidus left for Dwarka, where they offered prayers at Nageshwar Jyotirling temple and Dwarkadhish temple.
Thereafter, they visited the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and 'Kirti Mandir', a memorial that stands adjacent to Gandhi's ancestral house in Porbandar.
At Porbandar, he was greeted with a traditional performance. Local BJP leaders welcomed him by offering a traditional headgear, which he wore.
In his message written in the visitor's book at the Kirti Mandir, Naidu urged people to visit the place and take inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi's life and ideals.
"I am very honoured and privileged to visit the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. By showing the world the power of truth and non-violence as weapons of struggle against injustice, Gandhiji left a lasting impact on humanity. I urge everyone, especially the young generation to visit this place and take inspiration from Gandhiji's life and ideals," he wrote in the visitor's book at the museum at Gandhi's birthplace.
The official Twitter handle of the Vice President also shared pictures of Naidu visiting the two temples.
In the polling to the next Vice President, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee and former West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar (71) is pitted against joint opposition candidate Margaret Alva (80).
With the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) having an absolute majority in the Lok Sabha and 91 members in the Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar has a clear edge over his rival. He is likely to succeed incumbent Vice President, whose tenure ends on August 10.
