AGARTALA, August 20 (TIWN): Along with the whole Nation, Tripura on Thursday observes the 71st Birth Anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

To mark the occasion, Opposition Leader Sudip Roy Barman on Thursday hoisted the National Flag at Congress Bhawan. Besides, MLA Gopal Roy has hoisted the party flag and Youth Congress President Sushanta Choudhury hoisted the flag of Youth Congress.

The celebration was followed by the National Anthem. They further gave floral tribute to Rajiv Gandhi and later they went to Gandhi Ghat.

On this auspicious occasion the congress will go for torch rally, which will start from Congress Bhavan.

Further, the members of the National Students’ Union of India have distributed sweets and fruits among the patients of cancer hospital.

As the nation commemorates the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, one must recall the fresh impetus he injected into Indian politics. Despite being a dynasty, he brought with himself a progressive vision which attracted country’s youth towards the grand-old Congress party, extending its dominance in the political sphere for another decade.

In 1981, Rajiv Gandhi was elected from Amethi in a parliamentary by-election to replace his deceased brother Sanjay Gandhi from the same constituency. Within months, he received adulation from the inner circles of Congress.

Ideologically, he was not overburdened by the Nehruvian form of socialism which staunch Congressmen had firmly adopted. Coming from a technocratic background, Rajiv was committed to develop India on modern lines and adopt pro-market policies to boost industrialization in the nation.

After Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Rajiv was bound to head the party, since most of the Congress leaders believed that only someone from Nehru-Gandhi family could provide a ‘strong and stable’ government at the Centre.

In 1991, the nation suffered an irreparable loss when the young, flamboyant leader became the victim of terror. Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai. He died at the age of 47.