Manmohan Singh pays floral tributes to Bal Gangadhar Tilak

New Delhi, July 23 (ANI): The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, led the nation in paying floral tributes to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his birth anniversary here on Monday.

Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Sushma Swaraj also paid floral tributes to Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

Lokmanya Tilak, born on July 23, 1856 in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and independence fighter who was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities derogatorily called him "Father of the Indian unrest". He was also conferred with the honorary title of "Lokmanya", which literally means "Accepted by the people (as their leader)".

Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of 'Swaraj' (self-rule) and a strong radical in Indian consciousness. His famous quote, "Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it!" is well remembered in India even today. (ANI)