Prime Minister Narendra Modi (ANI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday paid tribute to Dr Rajendra Prasad, country’s first President, on his 141st birth anniversary. Recalling his central role in the freedom struggle, PM Modi said Dr Prasad’s legacy “continues to inspire generations.”“From being an active participant in India’s freedom struggle, presiding over the Constituent Assembly to becoming our first President, he served our nation with unmatched dignity, dedication and clarity of purpose. His long years in public life were marked by simplicity, courage and devotion to national unity,” PM Modi wrote in his X post, alongside photographs of the former President.Born on December 3, 1884, in Bihar’s Siwan district, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected India’s first President on January 24, 1950, at a special session of the Constituent Assembly. He was also the President of the Constituent Assembly.A distinguished lawyer who held a Doctorate in Law, he left his legal career in 1921 after being influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the national movement. He played key roles in the Non-Cooperation Movement and Salt Satyagraha.After Independence, Dr Prasad served as President for 12 years until 1962, the longest tenure for any occupant of the office. He was later awarded the Bharat Ratna. He spent his final years at the Sadaqat Ashram in Patna before passing away on February 28, 1963.His writings include his autobiography Atmakatha (1946) and works such as Satyagraha at Champaran (1922), India Divided (1946), Mahatma Gandhi and Bihar, Some Reminiscences (1949), and Bapu ke Kadmon Mein (1954), as noted by the government of Bihar.(With inputs from ANI)