Modi unveils Mahatma Gandhi bust in Hiroshima, a victim of nuclear attack: 'Gandhian ideals give strength to millions'

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, who reached Hiroshima in Japan on Friday (19) to take part in the G7 summit, on Saturday (20) unveiled a statue of India's legendary freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi in the Japanese city.

Sharing a picture from the event on Twitter, Modi said the bust of the iconic leader will take forward the idea of non-violence.

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"Unveiled Mahatma Gandhi's bust in Hiroshima. This bust in Hiroshima gives a very important message. The Gandhian ideals of peace and harmony reverberate globally and give strength to millions," he wrote in a tweet in Japanese.

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Speaking to reporters later, the prime minister said the world gets frightened even today when they listen to the word "Hiroshima", referring the nuclear attack by the US during the Second World War that devastated the city and killed several thousands.

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"I got the opportunity to unveil a bust of Mahatma Gandhi during my visit to Japan for the G7 Summit. The bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima will take forward the idea of non-violence," PM Modi said, according to Asian News International.

"It is a great moment for me to know that the Bodhi tree that I gifted to the Japanese PM has been planted here in Hiroshima so that people can understand the importance of peace when they come here. I pay my respect to Mahatma Gandhi," Modi added.

While Hiroshima was targeted on August 6, 1945, another Japanese city Nagasaki was attacked with a nuclear bomb three days later, on August 9, killing more.

Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Hiroshima since the South Asian nation carried out nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998. The last and only Indian prime minister to have visited the Japanese city before him was Jawaharlal Nehru who went there in 1957.

Modi visited Japan for the key summit after being invited by his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida even though India is not part of the G7 club. The Indian leader's presence at the event is, however, key since his country is currently holding presidency of the G20 grouping.