On Rajiv Gandhi’s 75th birth anniversary, Congress to host events across India

Senior Congress leaders, including interim party president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi paid tributes to the former PM at ‘Veer Bhumi’ in New Delhi.

To pay homage and to celebrate former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s life on his 75th birth anniversary, the Congress has planned a host of events across the country.

To pay homage and to celebrate former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s life on his 75th birth anniversary, the Congress has planned a host of events across the country. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT Photo)

Senior Congress leaders, including interim party president Sonia Gandhi, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi paid tributes to the former PM at ‘Veer Bhumi’in New Delhi.

Former president Pranab Mukherjee, former vice-president Hamid Ansari and former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh also attended the prayer meeting at Veer Bhumi.

Rahul and Priyanka took to Twitter to remember their father. “Today we celebrate the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi ji, a patriot & a visionary, whose far sighted policies helped build India. To me, he was a loving father who taught me never to hate, to forgive & to love all beings,” Rahul tweeted.

“From my father, I learned how to listen to people’s stories and find a place in my heart for them no matter how contrary to mine they might be. From him, I learned how to keep smiling and keep walking no matter how difficult the path might be,” Priyanka Gandhi tweeted along with a poem by EE Cumming.

The Congress has readied a line-up of events to mark the day. Rahul Gandhi is expected to make a speech at a function at Indira Gandhi stadium on August 22. A cultural programme, with a performance by Shubha Mudgal is also on the cards during the event.

Rajiv Gandhi’s contemporaries like Mani Shankar Aiyar and Sam Pitroda may also speak about his life. An earlier plan to hold meetings with youth leaders from across parties as a symbolic gesture of allowing for more participation of young people in politics was not taken forward.

On Monday, Telangana PCC president RC Khuntia handed over the ‘Rajiv Jyothi’ (a flame in his memory) to Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Every year, the Rajiv Jyothi is brought from Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, where Rajiv Gandhi breathed his last. The flame, ignited on August 9 this year, travelled across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi.

All party state units across the country have been holding various events. The Indian Youth Congress is holding a nationwide blood donation camp where senior Congress leaders are expected to participate.