New Delhi, April 5 (IANS): Vice President Hamid Ansari and other dignitaries on Tuesday paid tributes to former defence minister Babu Jagjivan Ram on his birth anniversary, observed as 'Samata Diwas'.

A prayer meeting was held at Jagjivan Ram's samadhi -- Samata Sthal -- near Rajghat here where tributes were paid to the late Dalit leader. 

Apart from the vice president, Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Vijay Sampla and other prominent people visited Samata Sthal and paid tributes to Babu Jagjivan Ram. 

Earlier, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi described him as a "true champion of social justice".

"Remembering Babu Jagjivan Ramji on his birth anniversary. A true champion of social justice, he dedicated his life to fighting inequality and injustice," Gandhi tweeted.

Born on April 5, 1908, in a Bihar village, Jagjivan Ram remained a union minister holding various key portfolios for more than four decades. He died on July 6, 1986.