New Delhi The nation on Thursday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 18th death anniversary.
President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the departed leader's widow and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi were among the first to pay floral tributes to the late leader at 'Veer Bhumi', the memorial of Gandhi.
Children of Gandhis, Congress MP Rahul and Priyanka along with her husband Robert Vadra were also present at the remembrance ceremony at the memorial, which was decorated with hundreds of white lotuses on the occasion.
Besides, Defence Minister A K Antony, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and a number of newly elected MPs, leaders of UPA allies like NC's Farooq Abdullah and Kerala Congress chief K M Mani also paid floral tributes at the memorial.
The remembrance ceremony began with the entry of 18 children signifying the 18th year of martyrdom of Gandhi. He was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a LTTE suicide bomber during a public meeting at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.
One of the children offered a length of Red Khadi in remembrance of the sacrifice of the late leader while another placed a 'diya' on the samadhi.
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A little description about
"Who was Rajiv gandhi??"
Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991), the elder son of Indira Nehru and Feroze Gandhi, was the 9th Prime Minister of India from his mother's death on 31 October 1984 until his resignation on 2 December 1989 following a general election defeat. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office (at the age of 40).
Rajiv Gandhi was a professional pilot for Indian Airlines before entering politics. While at Cambridge, he met Italian-born Sonia Maino whom he later married. He remained aloof from politics despite his mother being the Indian Prime Minister, and it was only following the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in 1980 that Rajiv entered politics. After the assassination of his mother in 1984 after Operation Blue Star, Indian National Congress party leaders nominated him to be Prime Minister.
Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to a major election victory in 1984 soon after, amassing the largest majority ever in Indian Parliament. The Congress party won 411 seats out of 542. He began dismantling the License Raj - government quotas, tariffs and permit regulations on economic activity - modernized the telecommunications industry, the education system, expanded science and technology initiatives and improved relations with the United States.
"How Rajiv Gadhi Died??"
In 1988, Rajiv reversed the coup in Maldives antagonising the militant Tamil outfits such as PLOTE. He also was responsible for first intervening and then sending Indian troops (Indian Peace Keeping Force or IPKF) for peace efforts in Sri Lanka in 1987, which soon ended in open conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group. In mid-1987, the Bofors scandal broke his honest, corruption-free image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections.
Rajiv Gandhi remained Congress President until the elections in 1991. While campaigning, he was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) group. His widow Sonia Gandhi became the leader of the Congress party in 1998, and led the party to victory in the 2004 elections. His son Rahul Gandhi is a Member of Parliament and the General Secretary of All India Congress Committee.
Rajiv Gandhi was posthumously awarded the Highest National Award of India, Bharat Ratna, joining a list of 40 luminaries, including Indira Gandhi.
