Cong leaders pay tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and members of the Gandhi family on Sunday paid homage to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among a large number of party leaders who paid their tributes at Veer Bhumi, the memorial of Rajiv Gandhi.

Sharing a video of his father on Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, “Papa, you are with me, as an inspiration, in memories, always.” Kharge, who was among the first ones to pay homage to Rajiv Gandhi at Veer Bhumi, also shared a video on the former prime minister’s life on Twitter.

“Rajiv Gandhi was a great son of India. Through multiple interventions such as lowering of voting age, strengthening Panchayati Raj, Telecom & IT revolution, and sustained peace accords, he transformed India, propelling it in 21st century. Our humble homage on his martyrdom day,” he said in a tweet.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said one of the last major accomplishments of Rajiv Gandhi before his assassination on this day, 32 years ago, was the finalisation of the Congress party’s manifesto for the 1991 Lok Sabha elections.

He spent many hours on it.

“In July 1991, when Dr Manmohan Singh as FM was criticised for ushering in economic reforms, he would quote frequently from this manifesto, which in many ways bore Rajiv Gandhi’s personal imprint.

“His contributions for taking India into the IT age were also distinctive contributions. He wooed GE and Texas Instruments to kickstart software exports. As also his battle for giving Constitutional status to panchayats and nagarpalikas is a truly transformational move,” Ramesh said on Twitter. The Indian Youth Congress organised blood donation camps in Delhi and elsewhere across the country to mark the day.

As many as 400 units of blood were donated by the Youth Congress members at the camp in the national capital. Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda paid heartfelt tribute to Bharat Ratna former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi and said the nation continues to benefit from his vision that dreams of a strong and progressive India in the 21st century.

On this occasion, Hooda said Rajiv ji’s revolutionary thinking made India a developed democracy and a modern nation. “His life will always be inspirational for all the countrymen,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary.

Modi tweeted: “I pay tributes to former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji on his death anniversary.”