India on Tuesday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated by a suicide bomber of Sri Lankan separatist group LTTE, on his 28th death anniversary observed as “Anti-Terrorism Day.” Congress President Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and their mother Sonia Gandhi went to Veer Bhoomi, the memorial of Rajiv on the bank of the river Yamuna, and paid floral tributes to their father. Former President Pranab Mukherjee and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also joined them at the spot.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on Twitter. "Tributes to former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary," he tweeted. Modi had come in for criticism recently by the Congress and other opposition parties for attacking Rajiv Gandhi during his campaign for the national election that ended on Sunday.
On the occasion, Priyanka Gandhi shared the famous Hindi poem, ‘Agneepath’ written by noted poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, father of Bollywood super star Amitabh Bachchan, on Twitter in a post titled: "You will always be my hero". The post also has an old picture of a younger Priyanka with her father. Rahul Gandhi shared a picture of Rajiv Gandhi, India's youngest Prime Minister, and said his father taught him "to love & respect all beings".
"I miss him. My father was gentle, loving, kind & affectionate. He taught me to love & respect all beings. To never hate. To forgive. On his death anniversary, I remember my father with love & gratitude,” Rahul tweeted. Rajiv Gandhi was India’s youngest Prime Minister when he was sworn in at the age of 40 as soon after his mother Indira Gandhi's assassination on October 31, 1984. Rajiv was killed when a suicide bomber of Liberation of Tamil Tiger of Eelam blew up in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu in May, 1991.
