Modi, Pranab, top Cong leaders pay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on 75th birth anniversary

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former president Pranab Mukherjee and top Congress leaders, including party chief Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, paid rich tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary on Tuesday. At a prayer meeting organized at 'Veer Bhumi', the memorial of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, his children -- former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, paid homage along with other family members.

Former vice president Hamid Ansari also paid tribute. Remembering Rajiv Gandhi, Prime Minister Modi tweeted, "Tributes to our former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary."

In Parliament Complex, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, L K Advani, Subramanian Swamy, Ghulam Nabi Azad and other MPs paid tributes to the former premier. A host of Congress leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ahmed Patel, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, paid homage to the former prime minister at the prayer meeting.

An audio clip of one of Rajiv Gandhi's speeches was played in the background. The party organized a host of other programs in the national capital and across the country to mark the occasion.

While former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed a function and gave 'Rajiv Gandhi Janma Pancha Sapthathi Puraskar' to people and organizations making contributions to society, a blood donation camp was organized by the Youth Congress. Singh also remembered Rajiv Gandhi as a visionary and illustrious prime minister who contributed a lot towards peace and national integration and harmony.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi distributed motorized vehicles/scooters to some disabled people at Jawahar Bhawan at Rajiv Gandhi Foundation marking the 75th birth anniversary of the former PM. They also inaugurated an exhibition entitled 'Memories and Archives of Rajiv Gandhi'.

Rahul Gandhi inaugurated the Rajiv Gandhi Socio-Technical, Knowledge, Innovation and Learning Lab on his birth anniversary, which is observed as Sadbhavana Diwas. Rahul remembered his father as a patriot and a visionary whose far-sighted policies helped build India.

"Today we celebrate the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi ji, a patriot and a visionary, whose far-sighted policies helped build India. To me, he was a loving father who taught me never to hate, to forgive and to love all beings," he tweeted. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also 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."

The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, said Rajiv Gandhi's commitment to empowering the youth was illustrated largely through his education policy. He understood the important role education played in shaping the future of the nation and created the National Policy on Education to instill change, the party said. "Rajiv Gandhi's dream was to make India a formidable force in the 21st century.He focused on technology, education and giving a voice to the disenfranchised. His vision and policies are the foundation upon which India thrived and for that he will always be revered.

"India's strength lies in its unity and diversity. As we remember Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary, we must also remember that his words are now more relevant than ever. We must never allow communal madness to break the bond of unity among us all," the Congress tweeted. Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said the values Rajiv Gandhi lived and worked for were "essentially the values that define our nation-spirit of tolerance, commitment to progressive policies and empathy to others".

"On his 75th birth anniversary homage to Rajiv ji should not only be a remembrance of his extraordinary personality and contribution to nation-building - it should also be marked by a reaffirmation of our commitment to abide by these very values," he tweeted. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also tweeted offering his tributes to Rajiv Gandhi.

While the Congress observed the day as 'Sadbhavana Diwas', the party has planned a host of events during the week. To mark the 75th birth anniversary celebrations, the AICC is organizing several events, including a cultural program, at Indira Gandhi Stadium on August 22. Sonia Gandhi will deliver the keynote address. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said it was Rajiv Gandhi who had ensured the realization of Mahatma Gandhi's dream on a decentralized form of governance.

"He wanted that governance should not run from Delhi but from the village level. For this, 73rd constitutional amendment for gram panchayats and 74th amendment for urban bodies were brought by Rajiv Gandhi," Gehlot said at the closing ceremony of the two-day Rajasthan Innovation Meet organized on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi's 75th birth anniversary in Jaipur. At a separate program at Rajasthan Congress office, deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said the party and the government will take the thoughts and vision of Rajiv Gandhi to the masses through various programs throughout the year.

Addressing an event in Jaipur, Rajasthan's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal said, "Rajiv Gandhi was a big humanitarian. He did not like the RSS as it is against Dalits and minorities. He was disturbed with their ideology."