Several Indian leaders paid homage to India’s sixth prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at Delhi’s Vir Bhumi on his 31st death anniversary.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi, paid respects to the former PM in Delhi on Saturday.  

Rajiv Gandhi’s son, Rahul Gandhi, revered his father and called him a “visionary leader” who molded modern India through his policies.

“My father was a visionary leader whose policies helped shape modern India. He was a compassionate and kind man, and a wonderful father to me and Priyanka, who taught us the value of forgiveness and empathy. I dearly miss him and fondly remember the time we spent together,” the 51-year-old wrote on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid homage on Twitter and wrote, “On his death anniversary, paying tributes to our former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi.”

Congress leaders Sachin Pilot and KC Venugopal also commemorated the former prime minister. 

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“Humble tributes to the former Prime Minister of the 21st century, the architect of modern India, Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, who laid the foundation of the computer and telecommunication revolution in India, on his death anniversary,” Pilot wrote on Twitter in Hindi.

“Rajiv ji, who has given a new direction to the country with modern thinking and foresight, will always be a source of inspiration for all of us,” he added. 

“A man with a mission to usher in modernity to our motherland, former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi was a brilliant statesman, a visionary leader and a true patriot dedicated to the service of our people.

On his death anniversary, my humblest tributes to our beloved leader,” Venugopal tweeted. 

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Rajiv Gandhi served as the sixth prime minister of the country between 1984 and 1989. He succeeded his mother, Indira Gandhi, after she was assassinated on October 31, 1984. 

On May 21, 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, by a suicide bomber named Dhanu, who was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) squad. 

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His cremation took place at Veer Bhumi, a memorial park located on the banks of Yamuna.

After his death, the Centre declared May 21 as National Anti-Terrorism Day.