Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka pay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on 31st death anniversary

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and her daughter and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 31st death anniversary at his Delhi memorial – Veer Bhumi.

Sonia and Priyanka, with their hands folded, paying homage to Rajiv Gandhi amid tight security were seen in visuals shared by news agency ANI.

Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Sachin Pilot too paid tributes to the former prime minister.

Remembering his father, Rahul Gandhi shared a Twitter post: “My father (Rajiv Gandhi) was a visionary leader whose policies helped shape modern India. He was a compassionate & kind man, and a wonderful father to me and Priyanka, who taught us the value of forgiveness and empathy. I dearly miss him and fondly remember the time we spent together. (sic)”

On Thursday, the Indian Youth Congress or IYC announced that it would start the ‘India Jodo’ campaign on Saturday to mark Rajiv Gandhi’s death anniversary. “The foundation of the digital revolution we are in today was laid by Rajiv Gandhi in the country. Through this program, we will usher in a new revolution as the beginning of connecting India,” IYC president Srinivas BV said.

Rajiv Gandhi, the sixth Prime Minister of India, was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

He took office in 1984 after the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and served as PM until December 2, 1989.

A few days back, AG Perarivalan, a convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case was released after spending 31 years in jail. The Tamil Nadu Congress held a silent protest in several parts of the state, opposing Perarivalan’s release and party workers were seen covering their mouths using a white cloth.