Rajiv Gandhi Birth Anniversary: 9 Inspirational Quotes by the Youngest Indian Prime Minister
In the former PM's remembrance, Congress has organised a number of programmes today.
Rajiv Gandhi, the popular political figure in India was born on August 20, 1944, in Bombay, British India. He served as the seventh Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989 after the assassination of his mother, then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. Rajiv Gandhi represented Uttar Pradesh's Amethi parliamentary constituency four times. The politician was assassinated at Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991, in a suicide bombing and was later cremated at Veer Bhumi, on the banks of the Yamuna river. In the former PM's remembrance, Congress has organised a number of programmes today. On the birth anniversary of the youngest prime minister of India, we have listed down quotes by the popular figure.
After completing his studies in London, he returned to Indian in 1961, joined the Flying Club, got trained as a pilot and worked with Air India. He fell in love with Edvige Antonia Albina Màino (who changed her name to Sonia Gandhi) while in London and married her in 1968 after three years of courtship. They settled in Delhi with their children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Almost three decades after his death, his role in Indian politics is even today widely talked about. Coming from the Gandhian family which played a significant role in the newly independent India, changes, laws, reforms, policies brought in by him has had a longstanding impact on the people of the country.
Here is a list of quotes from his motivational speeches:
"Women are the social conscience of a country. They hold our societies together."
"Education must be a great equaliser in our society."
"Development is not about factories, dams and roads. Development is about people. The goal is material, cultural and spiritual fulfilment for the people. The human factor is of supreme value in development."
"Every person should take a lesson from history. We should understand that wherever there have been internal fights and conflicts in the country, the country has been weakened. Due to this, the danger from outside increases. The country has to pay a big price due to this type of weakness."
"Our task today is to bring India to the threshold of the twenty-first century, free of burden of poverty, legacy of our colonial past, and capable of meeting the rising aspirations of our people."
"We must see that regional imbalances in the growth of various parties of the country are removed and all the states progress evenly. We shall ensure that all citizens of the country get full opportunity to contribute their might towards India’s progress."
"She was mother not only to me but to the whole nation. She served the Indian people to the last drop of her blood."
"India is an old country, but young nation; and like the young everywhere we are impatient. I am young, and I too have a dream. I dream of an India strong, independent and self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world in the service of mankind."
"Thinking of this University [Ambedkar University] today, we are reminded of Mahatma Gandhi because if there was anyone who fought for the weak in India, the first one to raise his voice for Scheduled Castes, that was Gandhiji. There were social workers before him but not any people who raised this matter in the political arena as he did."
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra paid floral tribute at Veer Bhumi. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot also paid homage to Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary which is celebrated as 'Sadbhavna divas'. To mark the day, the Congress has also decided to collect photographs of Rajiv Gandhi from Amethi residents. The photos will be put on display at a week-long exhibition titled 'Hamare Rajiv (Ours Rajiv)' at the party office in Gauriganj, the district headquarters.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2018 10:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).