Today marks the 27th death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi and his son Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to pay tribute to his father. The Congress President said the former prime minister taught him “hate is a prison for those who carry it.”
The Gandhi family including Rahul, Priyanka and Sonia visited Rajiv Gandhi’s memorial in Delhi today. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh also visited Gandhi’s memorial. Before visiting the memorial Mr. Gandhi tweeted, “My father taught me that hate is a prison for those who carry it.”
My father taught me that hate is a prison for those who carry it. Today, on his death anniversary, I thank him for teaching me to love and respect all beings, the most valuable gifts a father can give a son.
Rajiv Gandhi, those of us that love you hold you forever in our hearts. pic.twitter.com/BBjESe4D3S
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 21 May 2018
Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991 by a suicide bomber from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE.) A woman from the separatist Lankan Tamil outfit met Rajiv Gandhi at a rally in Tamil Nadu with a bomb strapped to her chest.
The woman bent to touch Rajiv’s feet and detonated the RDX explosive laden belt hidden under her dress. The bomb blast was massive and killed 14 other people. The assassination was caught on camera by a local photographer who was killed in the blast. The photographer’s camera was later recovered which helped the police track down the accused.
Rajiv Gandhi was cremated at the banks of the Yamuna river. Today the place where he was burnt is known as Veer Bhumi. Since Gandhi’s assassination, the day has been observed as Anti Terrorism Day. The Congress party pushed the swearing in ceremony for the Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy in view of Rajiv Gandhi’s death anniversary.
