On the 76th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, several prominent personalities paid their tributes. The youngest Prime Minister in Indian history, Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944. In 1984, he assumed power at the age of 40 after his mother, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was killed. The birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi on August 20 is observed as ‘Sadbhavna Divas’ (harmony day) by the Congress.
Politicians and leaders from all over India paid homage to Rajiv Gandhi. "On his birth anniversary, tributes to former prime minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi decided to visit Veer Bhumi, Delhi where his father was cremated. He went on to tweet "Rajiv Gandhi was a man with a tremendous vision, far ahead of his times. But above all else, he was a compassionate and loving human being. I am incredibly lucky and proud to have him as my father. We miss him today and every day."
Party leaders and Indian Youth Congress activists present there raised slogans hailing the former prime minister.
Member of Parliament (MP) from Thiruvananthapuram, Shashi Tharoor, in a heartfelt video said that Rajiv Gandhi was the one who lowered the voting age to 18, giving a chance for the youth of the nation to take part in its progress. He went on to add that Rajiv Gandhi was a peacemaker by instinct and said he dealt with the Assam Accord, Punjab Accord, and the Mizo Accord better than anyone else could have. He also added that the former Prime Minister was the one who started the telecom innovations which bridged the gap from the 20th century to the 21st century.
He concluded by saying Rajiv Gandhi's life was cut short too early and that he paid for the peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) with his own life, as he was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber during an election campaign in 1991.
Rajiv Gandhi was an adored politician and was known for his eloquent speeches. In one of his most famous speeches, he said," India is an old country but a young nation, and like the young everywhere we too are impatient. I am young and I too have a dream. I dream of an India strong, independent, and self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world in the service of mankind.”
IANS inputs