Rajiv Gandhi, the late former prime minister of India, was assassinated on this date in 1991 by LTTE militants. The Congress icon's untimely death, at the age of 46, left the entire nation shocked. He was the second member of Nehru-Gandhi family to be murdered. On his death anniversary, LatestLY recalls the martyred politician with rare photos from his life, along with his family tree.

On the paternal side, Rajiv Gandhi's father was Feroze Gandhi, a journalist-turned-politician. He was the son of a Bombay-based Parsi Jehangir Faredoon Ghandy and his wife Ratimai. Rajiv Gandhi 28th Death Anniversary: Lesser Known Facts About the Former Indian PM

It was from the maternal side from which made Rajiv Gandhi the member of India's so-called "first political family". His mother was Indira Gandhi, the daughter of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and grand-daughter of noted pre-independence leader Motilal Nehru. Rajiv's mother and Jawaharlal Nehru's wife was Kamala Nehru.

Rajiv Gandhi Family Tree: Ascendants and Descendants of The Late Ex-PM

Image used for illustration purpose | (Photo Credits: LatestLY)

Rajiv had one sibling, his elder brother Sanjay Gandhi, who died in a tragic plane crash in 1982. The latter, who was married to Maneka Gandhi, is father of Varun Gandhi, an emerging leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Meanwhile, Rajiv and his wife Sonia Gandhi gave birth to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. Both of them are steering the incumbent Congress' leadership, with Rahul being the party president and Priyanka the general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Rare Photos of Rajiv Gandhi:

May 1964: Studio headshot portrait of Rajiv Gandhi, son of then then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, while he was a student at Cambridge University, England. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)
October 1985: Then Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi (1944 - 1991) with Neil Kinnock and Denis Healey on an official visit to London to discuss Britain's attitude to sanctions against South Africa. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)
October 1985: Rajiv Gandhi meeting with British foreign secretary Sir Geoffrey Howe | (Photo Credits: Getty Images)
Indira Gandhi with her two sons Rajiv and Sanjay, in the garden of their Delhi home. (Photo Credits: Getty Images)
February 1968: Rajiv Gandhi with his fiancee Sonia Maino, at Palam Airport, New Delhi | (Photo Credits: Getty Images)

Nearly three decades after his death, Rajiv Gandhi continues to remain a figure of political discourse in the nation. He was dragged into the Lok Sabha elections 2019 campaign by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who controversially referred to him as "bhrashtachari no.1" in one of his poll speeches. Although Rajiv's political career was hit by the "Bofors scam", the Delhi High Court had on February 4, 2004 -- nearly 13 years after his death -- issued him a clean chit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 21, 2019 08:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).