New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid his tributes to Savitribai Phule on her birth anniversary, saying she dedicated her life to social unity, education and women empowerment.

"I salute Savitribai Phule on her birth anniversary. She dedicated her life to social unity, education and women empowerment. Her struggle for social consciousness will always inspire the countrymen," Modi tweeted in Hindi.

The Congress party said she tirelessly worked and dedicated her life to abolishing gender and caste-based discrimination.

"Savitribai Phule was the first female teacher in India and is also known as the mother of feminism in the country... Her contributions to the nation shall never be forgotten," the Congress tweeted.

Union Ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Hardeep Singh Puri also paid tributes to Phule, born on this day in 1831.

While Badal called her "woman who questioned social norms and petty prejudices", Puri called Phule a "champion of women's rights in India during the British rule" and remembered her for establishing the first Indian girls' school in Pune.

"Savitribai Phule fought for a better, more equal world for all. On her birth anniversary, let's resolve to keep her legacy alive," Badal tweeted.

Phule was an Indian social reformer, educationalist, and poet from Maharashtra.

She was considered to be the first female teacher of India and also the mother of Indian feminism. She played an important role in improving women's rights.