New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid tributes Rajiv Gandhi as the nation remembered the last Prime Minister from Gandhi-Nehruvian family on his 79th birth anniversary.
Rajiv Gandhi, who served as the 7th Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989, was born on August 20, 1944.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Robert Vadra and several other leaders also visited Veer Bhumi in Delhi to pay homage to India’s youngest Prime Minister to date. Kharge also penned a tribute to Rajiv on X, calling him “a leader who inspired hope among millions of Indians.”
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi took a bike ride to Pangong Lake in Ladakh and attended a prayer meeting was held at its banks of to mark the birth anniversary of former prime minister and his father. “Papa, the dreams you had for India overflow from these priceless memories,” Rahul posted on X in Hindi.
Notably, Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday is observed as Sadbhavana Diwas, a day dedicated to promoting national integration and peace among various communities. Here are some lesser-known facts about him.
Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest Prime Minister of India at the age of 40 in the year 1984. He was nicknamed “Mr. Clean” due to his commitment to combating corruption in the country.
A reluctant novice in politics, Rajiv Gandhi was never set out to become a politician. But only after the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash (1980) did he enter politics and contested from the former’s seat in Amethi and became the president of the Indian Youth Congress in 1981.