Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 20 (PTI) Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan and Congress leaders in the state on Thursday remembered former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 82nd birth anniversary, sharing messages on their social media accounts.
Satheesan described Rajiv Gandhi as a visionary leader who dedicated his youth to the country and taught India to dream of a new world.
In a Facebook post, Satheesan said Rajiv Gandhi, during his brief tenure as Prime Minister, helped take India into the modern world and gave unprecedented momentum to the country’s scientific and technological development.
He said Rajiv Gandhi maintained warm personal relations with world leaders and was also an accomplished diplomat who pursued India’s foreign policy with precision.
Rajiv Gandhi became an architect of modern India through revolutionary decisions based on love, humanity and secularism, Satheesan said, adding that his memories continue to inspire the country.
AICC general secretary and Alappuzha MP KC Venugopal remembered Rajiv Gandhi, recalling his visit to Darjeeling during the Gorkhaland agitation in 1986 and his efforts to address the concerns of the people.
In a Facebook post, Venugopal recalled Rajiv Gandhi telling those accompanying him during the visit, “Even if they cannot come to see me, they can still hear what I have to say.” Venugopal said Rajiv Gandhi visited Darjeeling towards the end of 1986 when the Gorkhaland agitation was at its peak.
The Gorkha National Liberation Front, led by Subhash Ghisingh, had called for a boycott of the Prime Minister during his visit.
Despite anticipating protests, Rajiv Gandhi did not compromise on any of his pre-announced programmes and decided to address a gathering of fewer than 100 people at North Point Ground in Darjeeling, Venugopal said.
He recalled that Rajiv Gandhi, accompanied by then Union Home Minister Buta Singh, addressed the gathering despite opposition from those accompanying him.
“Gorkhas are deeply integrated with Indian culture. Our Gorkha brothers are those who shed blood for the country during the freedom struggle and thereafter,” Venugopal quoted Rajiv Gandhi as saying.
Venugopal said the speech was followed by discussions and eventually led to the formation of the autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council two years later for the development of the Darjeeling hills, bringing an end to years of violence and armed struggle.
“That was Rajiv Gandhi,” Venugopal said, describing him as a leader who stood against the politics of hatred through his life and lived with a deep commitment to democracy and secular values.
He also described Rajiv Gandhi as a leader who inspired Indian youth to dream and guided the country towards peace, and paid tribute to his memory.
State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala, in a Facebook post, said the former Prime Minister had deeply influenced and guided his political life.
“He was the leader who guided and shaped my political life so deeply. He was the one who showed me the way to national politics,” Chennithala said.
He said the country observes Sadbhavana Diwas on Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary, reminding people of nationalism rooted in secular and democratic values.
“Rajivji, my tributes to your memory,” he said.
Labour Minister Bindu Krishna also paid tribute to the late leader.
In a Facebook post, Krishna described Rajiv Gandhi as the architect of modern India and a beloved leader of the country.
“On the 82nd birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, the architect of modern India and the beloved leader of the country, my heartfelt tributes to the memory of the beloved leader,” she said.
Electricity Minister and KPCC president Sunny Joseph also posted an image of Rajiv Gandhi and paid tribute to him on his social media account.
Excise Minister Liju, in a Facebook post, quoted words of Rajiv Gandhi inscribed on a stone at the Rajiv Gandhi memorial in Sriperumbudur: “India is an ancient country, but a young nation. I am young. I too have a dream. A dream of an India that is strong, independent and self-reliant, working for the welfare of humanity and standing among the leading nations of the world.” Liju said Rajiv Gandhi had revolutionary dreams about the future of India and worked tirelessly to realise his vision of a strong, modern and dynamic nation.
He said Rajiv Gandhi gave the country’s dreams the wings of technology and led India towards becoming a strong, independent, and self-reliant nation among the world’s leading countries.
Beyond that, Liju said, Rajiv Gandhi’s historic decisions, bearing the imprint of humanity, democracy and secularism, remain indelible memories.
Higher Education Minister Roji M John, Mavelikara MP Kodikunnil Suresh, and senior Congress leader VM Sudheeran also posted messages paying tribute to the former Prime Minister on their social media accounts. PTI TBA TBA ROH
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