Nation remembers Rajiv Gandhi on 26th death anniversary

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today paid tributes to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 26th death anniversary.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by son and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi, daughter Priyanka Gandhi and son-in-law Robert Vadra, paid tributes to the late leader at his memorial, Veer Bhumi, here.

A host of other Congress leaders also visited the memorial, as the nation remembered the country's sixth prime minister who was assassinated on this day in 1991 in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur.

"Remembering my father today. A leader driven by love, compassion & a deep generosity of heart. We miss him," Rahul tweeted.

Sonia also launched a signature campaign of the Mahila Congress today favouring the passage of Women Reservation Bill. It aims to ensure 33 per cent seats for women in state Assemblies and Parliament.

The signature campaign has been launched simultaneously by all Mahila Congress units across the country and will continue till August 10 this year.

On August 20, the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, the signatures collected from all district Mahila Congress units, in support of the passage of the bill, will be handed over to the President of India, Mahila Congress chief Shobha Oza said.

She said the All-India Mahila Congress would build up pressure on the NDA government for the passage of the bill at the earliest so that the unfulfilled dream of Rajiv Gandhi becomes a reality.

To remember the former prime minister, the women wing of the Congress also organised a blood donation camp meant exclusively for women at the AICC headquarters here.

The Indian Youth Congress had organised another programme in the evening to mark the occasion, but had to cancel it due to heavy rains.