HashtagPolitics | His IT role to Vajpayee to his press meets, Cong remembers Rajiv Gandhi; PM, Kejriwal pitch in

Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi shared a speech of late Gandhi that said: “I am young and I too have a dream, I dream of India strong, independent, self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world, in the service of mankind.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrwal also took to Twitter to pay his tributes to the former PM.

Remembering former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi ji on his birth anniversary.

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 20, 2022

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited Veer Bhumi, their father’s memorial.

In a Hindi tweet, alongside a picture montage of his father, Rahul said, “Papa, you are always with me, in my heart. I will always try to fulfil the dream that you saw for the country”.

श्री @RahulGandhi जी, श्रीमती @priyankagandhi जी ने वीर भूमि में पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री राजीव गांधी जी को पुष्प अर्पित कर श्रद्धांजलि दी।#BharatKeRajiv pic.twitter.com/uONr4jYS1I

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 20, 2022

Saying that her father had “laid the roadmap for 21st century India before the country”, Priyanka in a Facebook post wrote: “An India in which the power of the youth, the power of villages, the potential of women, the use of new technologies, finds expression, steps like information revolution, communication revolution, Panchayati Raj, right to vote at 18 years were steps to strengthen this expression.”

पापा, आप हर पल मेरे साथ, मेरे दिल में हैं। मैं हमेशा प्रयास करूंगा कि देश के लिए जो सपना आपने देखा, उसे पूरा कर सकूं। pic.twitter.com/578m1vY2tT

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 20, 2022

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress’s general secretary in-charge of communications, listed six achievements of Gandhi in a statement, including deepening “the foundations of the IT revolution that has transformed India”, ensuring “Panchayats and Nagarpalikas were accorded constitutional status with one-third reservation for women”; which emerged “as effective institutions of self-government,” among others.

“The fact that there are now 14 lakh women elected to such institutions is a tribute to his determination,” Ramesh added.

He went on to point out that Rajiv Gandhi “crafted accords that brought peace and development back to troubled regions of the country like Assam, Punjab, Mizoram and Darjeeling, ensured 18-year-olds had a right to vote”.

मई 1991 में रिकॉर्ड की गई इस वीडियो में वाजपेयी स्वयं बता रहे हैं कि कैसे राजीव गांधी की दरियादिली ने उनकी जान बचाई।

राजीव गांधी सिर्फ एक प्रभावशाली प्रधानमंत्री नहीं थे। वह राजनीति में असाधारण किस्म के इंसान थे – एक अच्छे, सभ्य और संवेदनशील व्यक्ति।#BharatKeRajiv pic.twitter.com/6KdgmJDMoC

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 20, 2022

The Congress, on its official Twitter handle, hailed him as the “architect of 21st century India,” adding: “It was through his farsighted vision that ushered in the IT & telecom revolution in India. Today, we celebrate his legacy”.

Adopting hashtags such as “Bharat ka Rajiv”, “Rajiv ek sankalp” as well as marking “Sadbhavana Diwas”, a day celebrated on Gandhi’s birth anniversary to promote national integration, the party put out a series of tweets.

One of these tagged a video clip featuring former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in which Vajpayee recollects Gandhi taking care of hiS medical treatment in 1988 and including him in an UN delegation. The party captioned it, “Indianness… Humanity… Generosity. The one who made a place in the hearts of political opponents, he was ‘Rajiv of India’.”

Marking the occasion, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel announced “the second installment of ‘Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana’, through which “Rs 1745 crore was transferred to 26 lakh 21 thousand farmers in their bank accounts.”

Lauding the scheme, Rahul said it “lives up to his vision of transforming our villages through efficient transfer of resources to our rural areas”.

Sharing an image of Gandhi’s flying license, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said Gandhi “piloted the nation to greater heights but was cruelly snatched from us in mid-flight.”

P Chidambaram, who was a minister in his government, said: “I have fond memories of his passion for science and knowledge; his genuine interest in the welfare of women and other disadvantaged groups, his abiding faith in the ability of people to govern themselves; and his respect for the other institutions of democracy,” adding: “I shall cherish these memories forever.”

Today is Rajiv Gandhi’s birthday

I have fond memories of his passion for science and knowledge; his genuine interest in the welfare of women and other disadvantaged groups;

— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 20, 2022

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid his tributes in a tweet that read: “He will always be remembered for his leadership and contribution towards nation building”.

RJD leader and Bihar’s deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said: “A visionary leader with a progressive approach, he made remarkable contributions to the growth of country, particularly in IT & telecom sectors.”

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the Rajiv Gandhi Centre of Advance Technology (R-CAT) in Rajasthan on the day.

The Congress was also quick to point out credentials of the former PM that they saw were lacking in the current dispensation.

Maharashtra Congress put out a tweet saying, “During the 6 hours of flight back home from Vietnam, Japan trip. Former PM #Rajiv_Gandhi spoke to the correspondents/press personnel accompanying him! He never ran away from press conferences unlike current PM!”

India’s youngest prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi was in office during 1984-89. He was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber in 1991.

(With inputs from PTI)