‘Your dream India will guide me’: Rahul remembers Rajiv Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday paid tribute to his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 82nd birth anniversary, recalling his vision of a harmonious and democratic India and saying that his resolve to build the country of his dreams would continue to guide him.

Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary is observed across the country as Sadbhavana Diwas, or Harmony Day, commemorating his emphasis on communal harmony, compassion and national unity.

In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi remembered his father through the values he said had shaped his own political journey.

“Harmony among Indians, compassion in every heart, and equal rights to justice and democracy for every citizen,” he wrote, describing Rajiv Gandhi’s teachings as his “strength” and his memories as his “courage”.

“The resolve to build the India of your dreams will always continue to guide me,” Rahul Gandhi added.

Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, K.C. Venugopal and other senior leaders gathered at Veer Bhumi in New Delhi to pay floral tributes to the former prime minister.

The solemn commemorations brought together members of Rajiv Gandhi’s family and senior Congress leaders, who remembered his contribution to India’s political and technological transformation.

Kharge, in his tribute, described Rajiv Gandhi as a visionary leader who “awakened hope in millions” and helped prepare India for the promise of the 21st century.

“His legacy lives on in the transformative changes he championed and in his enduring faith in India’s youth, technological progress and the power of new ideas,” the Congress president said in a post on X.

Kharge said the most meaningful tribute to Rajiv Gandhi would be to strengthen India’s longstanding spirit of empathy, harmony and reconciliation while protecting intellectual freedom, encouraging innovation and nurturing the aspirations of young Indians.

He also recalled the former prime minister’s “tremendous contribution to the nation” and paid his deepest respects on his birth anniversary.

In Bengaluru, Karnataka chief minister D.K. Shivakumar also remembered Rajiv Gandhi, reflecting on the faith the former prime minister placed in young leaders during the early stages of their political careers.

Shivakumar said he felt a “deep sense of gratitude” when recalling Rajiv Gandhi’s encouragement and his belief in the potential of a younger generation of political leaders.

“He did not merely speak about the future; he had the courage to imagine a new India and inspire a generation to believe that it was possible,” Shivakumar said.

The tributes on Sadbhavana Diwas once again brought Rajiv Gandhi’s political legacy into focus, particularly his emphasis on national harmony, technological advancement, democratic values and the role of young Indians in shaping the country’s future.

With IANS inputs