Panaji, Oct 2 (IANS): The Congress leaders in Goa came together to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri.

The party has been besieged by a series of desertions with the latest being on September 14 when eight of its MLAs joined the BJP.

Picking up its threads, the remaining party leaders on Sunday paid tributes to the great leaders and exhorted that the party should take up the cause of the poor in the state.

"Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri dedicated their lives to help and uplift the downtrodden. We must come together and fight for the rights of the poor. This will be a real tribute to the great leaders," Leader of Opposition, Yuri Alemao said on Sunday.

Alemao was speaking at the Gandhi Jayanti and Shastri Jayanti Celebrations at the Congress House, here. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar, Aldona MLA Carlos Alvares Ferreia, Senior Vice President M.K. Shaikh, former Deputy Speaker Shambhu Bhau Bandekar and others were present.

"Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri always adopted the path of truth, non-violence and simplicity. Both the great leaders gave their contribution in making India. We will follow their ideology in our roadmap ahead," Amit Patkar said.

"Our leader Rahul Gandhi is walking from Kanyakumari to Kashmir with his Bharat Jodo Yatra. This yatra is to unite India as per the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. We should support the Yatra to ensure India remains one," Patkar said.

Earlier, floral tributes were paid to the photos of Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister of India Lal Bahadur Shastri.