Papa, your teachings are my inspiration: Rahul Gandhi on Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary

New Delhi, Aug 2: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday paid tribute to his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary and emphasised that he’ll fulfil Rajiv Gandhi’s dreams for India taking his memories with him.

“A compassionate personality, an epitome of camaraderie and goodwill... Papa, your teachings are my inspiration, and your dreams for India are my own - I will fulfil them, taking your memories with me,” the Congress leader posted on X.

Rahul Gandhi also visited Veer Bhumi and paid floral tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary.

Party RS MP Jairam Ramesh also celebrated Rajiv Gandhi’s contribution to India’s political and technological landscape.

“Today is Rajiv Gandhi@80. His was a short but very consequential political life. The March 1985 Budget in which he played a key role heralded a new approach to economic policy. The manifesto for the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, on which he spent long hours a few weeks before his tragic assassination, provided the foundations for the Rao-Manmohan Singh reforms of June-July 1991,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

“Peace accords in troubled regions of the country like Assam, Punjab, Mizoram, and Tripura were made possible by his statesmanship that put national interest over the immediate interests of his party.... We recall not just a Prime Minister today but also a very fine and caring human being who bore no malice showed no vindictiveness, sought no revenge, indulged in no bombast and self-glory, and exhibited no qualities of self-delusion,” he added.

“He had a vision for societal applications of science and technology that were reflected in the impactful technology missions in drinking water supply, immunization, literacy, oilseeds production and telecom and dairy development. In 1985, 165,000 villages had been identified as not having easy access to any potable water source. By 1989, 162,000 villages of these villages had been provided with at least one safe source of drinking water. Facilities to manufacture the oral polio vaccine were set up,” Ramesh wrote in his post

“The first direct steps to making India a software export powerhouse were taken during his tenure. Institutions that are now doing the country proud, like C-DAC, were established in the late 1980s. Financial institutions like the National Housing Bank and the Small Industries Development Bank of India came into being. The New Education Policy of 1986, anchored in progressive values, bore his personal imprint. Today’s Navodaya Vidyalayas emerged from this initiative. The voting age was reduced to 18 years and Swami Vivekananda’s birthday was declared as National Youth Day. Article 243 of our Constitution is a tribute to his fierce commitment to empowering elected panchayats and Nagarpalikas,” he added.

“We recall not just a Prime Minister today but also a very fine and caring human being who bore no malice showed no vindictiveness, sought no revenge, indulged in no bombast and self-glory, and exhibited no qualities of self-delusion,” Ramesh concluded.

Rajiv Gandhi took over the charge of the Congress in 1984, following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became India’s youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40.

Born on August 20, 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on May 21, 1991.