Congress leaders pay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on his 78th birth anniversary

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the sixth Prime Minister of India, serving from 1984 to 1989. He became the youngest PM of India at the age of 40. (Express Archive)

Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944 in Mumbai. He came back to India after his studies in UK and became a pilot for state-owned Indian Airlines. (Express Archive)

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi addressing the nation on Independence Day from Red Fort. He entered politics at the behest of his mother Indira Gandhi, after his brother Sanjay Gandhi's death in an aeroplane crash. (Express Archive)

Rajiv Gandhi was a modern leader and responsive to various ideas. He believed in aligning technology with various fields including agriculture. (Express Archive)

The Ministry of Human Resource Development was established by Rajiv Gandhi's government in 1985 to modernise and expand higher education programmes. (Express Archive)

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with the statute of Lord Buddha presented by the Buddhist Monk delegation from Sri Lanka. Gandhi was assassinated by an LTTE suicide bomber, an armed Tamil group in Sri Lanka, May 21, 1991. (Express Archive)

On his 78th birth anniversary, Congress leaders paid tributes to the former prime minister in New Delhi. Here, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are seen at Veer Bhumi. (PTI Photo)

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi pays tributes to Rajiv Gandhi, who was awarded the country's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in 1991 by the Indian government. (PTI Photo)

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad pays tribute to Rajiv Gandhi at Veer Bhumi. (PTI Photo)

P Chidambaram, senior Congress leader, also paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary. (PTI Photo)

In this picture, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Robert Vadra and and Mallikarjun Kharge are seen during the ceremony for Rajiv Gandhi at Veer Bhumi. (PTI Photo)