Nation pays tributes to Parliament attack martyrs

New Delhi: Political leaders led by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid floral tributes to those who lost their lives 16 years ago in the Parliament attack here.Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president-elect Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi were among those who paid homage to the martyrs.

Mr Modi and Dr Singh appeared to set aside their differences, warmly greeting one another on their way to the House.Mr Gandhi was seen exchanging pleasantries with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad after paying their respects at the martyrs' memorial.'Remembering the brave soldiers and security personnel who laid their lives to protect the temple of our democracy during #ParliamentAttack,' Mr Prasad tweeted.

Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani also wrote 'Homage to martyrs whose supreme sacrifice to protect our temple.'The attack on the symbol of Democracy led to the deaths of five terrorists, six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel and a gardener on December 13, 2001. (UNI)