South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations of India in New Delhi on Saturday. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed him to the event. Earlier in the day, Modi paid his tributes to the martyrs by laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti in the presence of Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and the three service chiefs.
The overall theme for the Republic Day celebrations this year was the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and tableaux of many states, themed on the father of the nation, attracted the audience. 'Happy Republic Day to all fellow Indians,' Modi tweeted. In his message, Union Minister Rajya Vardhan Singh Rathore said, "As we celebrate #RepublicDay2019, let us renew our vow to our country: let us strive to live up to the ideals of justice, liberty and equality as enshrined in the constitution. Let us move towards a stronger, better India. Let us, with fierce pride, say in one voice: JAI HIND!."
Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who is getting treatment in a hospital in the United States, tweeted, "#RepublicDay2019 greetings to everyone. Happy 70th #RepublicDay2019". Railways Minister Piyush Goyal tweeted, "70 & Growing Strong: As India celebrates its 70th #RepublicDay, let us cherish the memory of the day when we became an Independent Republic, and look ahead with aspiration & zeal towards building a New India."
