New Delhi: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has a week-long plan — he will share one ‘incredible achievement’ a day of his father, late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, to commemorate the latter’s 75th birth anniversary.
“This week we will celebrate my father, Rajiv Gandhi Ji’s 75th birth anniversary with memorial events across India,” Rahul tweeted Monday. “To honour him, each day this week, I will draw attention to one of his many incredible achievements. Today, the Information Technology revolution”.
This week we will celebrate my father, Rajiv Gandhi Ji's 75th birth anniversary with memorial events across India.
To honour him, each day this week, I will draw attention to one of his many incredible achievements. Today, the Information Technology revolution. #RajivGandhi75 pic.twitter.com/qBjIfTVRkj
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 19, 2019
The move comes at a time when the Modi government has been attacking the Nehru-Gandhi family, blaming its members for many “omissions and commissions” in the past — Jawaharlal Nehru for Article 370, Indira Gandhi for the Emergency, and Rajiv Gandhi for “doing injustice” to Muslim women by reversing the Supreme Court ruling in the Shah Bano case.
Rajiv, who was born on 20 August 1944, was assassinated on 21 May 1991 (celebrated as anti-terrorism day). He would have turned 75 this year.
Also read: Rajiv Gandhi – the ‘unwilling’ PM who laid the foundation of a modern India
Rahul posts video
Rahul’s twitter post was accompanied by a 55-second video that highlights the way in which Rajiv brought about an IT revolution in India.
The seeds of the IT revolutions “were sown in 1985 under the leadership of Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi”, according to the video. “He completely digitised telephone exchanges and introduced PCOs,” it adds.
Apart from this, Rajiv, the youngest PM of India, is also credited with setting the stage for liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation reforms. He was also instrumental in passing the 61st amendment of the Constitution that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and tried to modernise education through the introduction of National Policy on Education, the video says.
Celebrations across the country
The Congress has planned memorial events across the country to celebrate Rajiv’s birth anniversary.
“In Jharkhand, we have planned a run at 6:30 in the morning on 20 August,” Jharkhand in-charge R.P.N. Singh told ThePrint. “This will be followed by day-long events and end with bhajans (hymns) in honour of the late PM.”
Similar events are planned in Chhattisgarh and Delhi, respective in-charges P.L. Punia and P.C. Chacko said with Delhi is making special arrangements for women attending the events.
On 20 August, each state and union territory will individually pay tribute to the former PM, followed by a grand ceremony in Talkatora Stadium on 22 August. The latter will be attended by Congress leaders from all over the country.
Also read: I felt very strongly that Rajiv Gandhi was not corrupt: B. Raman on the Bofors scandal
I was a plus2 student in Mumbai when Rajeev ji became PM. Well in five years we had a PM who did not resort to drama. Gave us computers and colour tv. Life was happy and there were no mob violence and war rhetoric. Our generation saw India really developing. Huge companies growing up, and we were all proud Indians. Of course he did some blunders too. Ayodhya shilanyas was his biggest mistake. Then we went to Sri Lanka to help but our forces spoiled everything. Also Our intelligence failed to read the situation early on. As for Bofors well I don’t believe Rajeev Ghandi had to do anything with it. It was a creation of some of his own party along with some opposition power hungry politicians.
Also during his time the Govt was open to criticism. He had 404 MPs in parliament. If he wanted he could have choked up media. But being a Gentleman to the core he never said a word against media or critics. A perfect Gentleman. Definitely not the types you see now
The biggest blunder Rajiv did was hooking up with the cabaret dancer Sonia. Now we Indians had to have to bear the attrocities of Sonia, Pappu, Priyanka and Robber Vadra. I wish all of you fake Italian gandhis vanish to Italia and allow us Indians to mind our own business.
The problem is that most of the commenters here are not real people but paid trolls from BJP IT cells. Otherwise they would at least slightly appreciate that it is Rajiv Gandhi’s IT initiatives seeded India’s IT infrastructure development which are enabling them to post here. No worries, as soon as India’s downwards economic slide leaves people jobless, bankrupt and devastated, they will need a party with educated leaders such as Congress to once again put it on upwards track from the Ram Mandir, Beef politics and other communal hatred based politics.
His achievement is joining hands with his father’s killer party for political gains by which his party is also echoing anti nationalistic sentiments……
What is the point? After being an MP for over 15 years, and President of the party for over 2 years, he ought to be speaking of ‘HIS” own achievements and aspirations, with what he intends to do in the coming months and years. Everyone can read what Rajiv did, NO ONE has any idea what Rahul will do.. Only the latter is important. How can he not know that?
There is no doubt before Rajiv Gandhi became PM, he was father for Rahul and Priyanka. When it comes to celebration he is PM. There is a fundamental mistake in Rahul’s tweet where he is claiming his father’s birth anniversy instead of PM of India so also the archivemenrs shoud be presented as India’s achievement under leadership of Rajiv Gandhi. BJP would pounce on RG
One crucial difference is Rajiv with all his errors and appeasement politics was a patriotic individual.
RaGa is a through and through antinational. He may not be able to run even in Kerala next time. He may have to run for MNA position in Pakistan National Assembly.