Priyanka, Rahul pay nostalgic tributes to Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary

Leaders across the board paid respects to late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 75th birth anniversary, but what stood out were the nostalgic tributes by his children - Priyanka and Rahul.

Priyanka posted a portion of the poem 'My Father Moved Through Dooms of Love' by EE Cummings along with a photo beside her father. In the photo, a much younger Priyanka is getting into a playful fight with her father.

"From my father, I learned how to listen to people's stories and find a place in my heart for them no matter how contrary to mine they might be. From him, I learned how to keep smiling and keep walking no matter how difficult the path might be," Priyanka wrote on Twitter with the picture.

Rahul Gandhi too posted a picture of his father on his Twitter handle, describing him as a "patriot" and a "loving father".

"Today we celebrate the 75th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi ji, a patriot and a visionary, whose far-sighted policies helped build India. To me, he was a loving father who taught me never to hate, to forgive & to love all beings," the former Congress president tweeted.

Senior party leaders, including interim party president Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, paid tributes to Rajiv Gandhi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also paid their respects to the late leader.

"Tributes to our former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary," Modi wrote in a tweet.

Earlier today, former President Pranab Mukherjee, former Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, KC Venugopal and Ahmed Patel too remembered Gandhi.

Functionaries of the Congress were directed to observe the day at the state, district and block levels with the involvement of the general public at large.

Apart from the prayer meetings and floral tributes, party top brass had asked for social programs such as blood donation camps, plantation of saplings, seminars, conferences to be held.

Party leaders also paid floral tributes to Rajiv Gandhi at his memorial Veer Bhumi in the national capital. Priyanka Gandhi's husband and businessman Robert Vadra and her daughter Miraya Vadra were also present.

Rahul Gandhi had tweeted on Monday that Congress party will be holding several memorial events across the country this week to mark his father's birth anniversary.

Rajiv Gandhi became the youngest prime minister of the country at the age of 40. He took over as the sixth Prime Minister after his mother Indira Gandhi's assassination in 1984. In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. His death anniversary is also observed as Anti-Terrorism day.

( With inputs from ANI )