Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Hawaii

[Representational Image] Hawaii: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laying wreath at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Credit: PTI

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue here.

Singh is in the Hawaiian capital for a brief visit to the Headquarters of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), a unified combatant command of America's Armed Forces responsible for the key Indo-Pacific region. He arrived here from Washington on Wednesday.

"Paid tributes to Pujya Bapu at his statue in Honolulu, Hawaii," Singh tweeted on Thursday, sharing a photograph of the event.

The USINDOPACOM and Indian military have wide-ranging engagements, including a number of military exercises, training events and exchanges.

Singh along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached the US on Sunday to attend the India-US '2+2' Ministerial Dialogue in Washington on Monday - the first under the Biden administration.

The US side was represented by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin at the dialogue.

Before the 2+2 Dialogue, Singh held a bilateral meeting with Austin and reviewed the entire gamut of Indo-US defence ties and agreed to step up military-to-military relations.

Singh and Jaishankar also attended a virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.