Commemorative stamp on Samajwadi Party founder Chandra Shekhar released

Vice-president Hamid Ansari today released a commemorative five-rupee postal stamp on former prime minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Chandra Shekhar in New Delhi, describing him as a great leader who belonged to the whole nation.

"Singh was not just a leader of a party or a state, he was a really great leader of the country," Ansari said on the occasion.

"In the 'padyatra' that he undertook from Kanyakumari to Delhi, covering a distance of more than 4,000km in extreme weather conditions, he made a very valid point that any government has to involve people to bring a solution to their problems," he said.

SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said Chandra Shekhar had taught him how "to stand alone in politics".

"He respected his friends and foes alike. I learnt some very important lessons from him," he said.

Today is the 84th birth anniversary of Chandra Shekhar, Surga Singh, a member of the Chandra Shekhar Memorial Society said.