Tributes paid to Rajiv Gandhi on death anniv

The nation on Monday fondly remembered former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 16th death anniversary.

Rich tributes were offered to Gandhi amid singing of hymns at 'Vir Bhumi', the memorial to the departed leader on the banks of river Yamuna.

Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra offered floral tributes at the memorial.

A host of Congress leaders, including Union Ministers Shivraj Patil, AK Antony, Ajay Maken, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit, party MPs Jagdish Tytler, Navin Jindal and Jiten Prasad were also present at the memorial.

Youth Congress activists took out a march in the capital to remember the departed leader.

Over 200 volunteers of the Karnataka unit of Youth Congress and Puducherry traversed parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and are reaching Sriperumbudur on Monday to mark the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Sriperumbudur in 1991 during an election campaign.