President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, and other dignitaries paid floral tributes to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule at Parliament's Prerna Sthal on his 200th birth anniversary.
Mahatma Phule was a 19th-century social reformer who founded Satya Shodhak Samaj in 1873 to eliminate social inequalities and liberate oppressed communities.
He served on Pune Municipality from 1876-1882 and was recognized for his work on farmer welfare, scientific education, and emancipation of marginalized groups.
A 12-foot bronze statue of Phule sculpted by Ram V. Sutar was unveiled by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Parliament Complex on December 3, 2003.