Rahul Gandhi paid tribute to his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, on his death anniversary, emphasizing the enduring impact of his father’s vision and legacy. “Your dreams are my dreams,” Rahul Gandhi said, reflecting on Rajiv Gandhi’s aspirations for India.
“His political life was very short but hugely impactful. He left behind numerous legacies that we take for granted now,” Rahul Gandhi stated. He highlighted several of Rajiv Gandhi’s key contributions, including granting the right to vote to 18-year-olds, empowering local government bodies with constitutional authority and reservations for women, achieving peace in Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, and Punjab, and pioneering India’s entry into the IT, computer, and telecom era. Additionally, he noted Rajiv Gandhi’s efforts in using science and technology to address societal challenges and strengthen India’s space and nuclear programs.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 33rd death anniversary, posting on X: “On his death anniversary, my tributes to our former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji.”
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>On his death anniversary, my tributes to our former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji.</p>— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href=”https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1792749845079593286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>May 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
Earlier in the day, Congress leaders including President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi paid homage at Veer Bhumi in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi shared a childhood photograph and wrote, “Father, Your dreams, my dreams, Your aspirations, my responsibilities. Your memories, today and always, always in my heart.” Other Congress leaders such as P. Chidambaram and Sachin Pilot also paid their respects.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh emphasized another significant yet often overlooked achievement: the 1991 Congress manifesto, personally crafted by Rajiv Gandhi. Released on April 15, 1991, this manifesto laid the groundwork for economic liberalization, which was later championed by then-Finance Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh.
“Only one newspaper, The Telegraph, had captured its significance reflected in its headline the next day. The headline proved to be prophetic,” Ramesh noted, sharing a screenshot of the newspaper headline, “Congress promises liberalisation drive,” which featured a picture of Rajiv Gandhi releasing the manifesto.
On July 23, 1991, during a Congress Working Committee meeting, Dr. Manmohan Singh cited this manifesto extensively to justify the transformative economic policies introduced by the Narasimha Rao government.
Rajiv Gandhi served as India’s Prime Minister from 1984 to 1989 and was tragically assassinated by LTTE cadres in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, in 1991 during an election campaign.