NEW DELHI, 21 May: 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 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 that 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 a truly transformational move,” Ramesh said on Twitter.
Several other leaders also remembered the former prime minister on his death anniversary.
India’s prime minister between 1984 and 1989, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE terrorists at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in 1991 during an election campaign. (PTI)