Hyderabad, Aug 20 :
The Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Thursday paid rich tributes to the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 65th birth anniversary at Green Lands on Thursday by garlanding to his statue.
On the occasion, he said that Rajiv exemplified the spirit of independent thinking and was instrumental in amending the constitution to grant autonomy to the Panchayat Raj institutions.Rajiv wanted the youth to actively participate in the process of social development and took steps to reduce the age for voting from 21 to 18 years, he added.
Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Sadbhavna Diwas (harmony day) and Akshay Urja Diwas (energy day) in the country.
Rajiv Gandhi, the elder son of Indira Gandhi, was the seventh prime minister of India. He took office on Oct 31, 1984 after his mother’s assassination and resigned on Dec 2, 1989 following a defeat in the general elections. He became the youngest prime minister of the country at the age of 40.
Rajiv Gandhi had led the Congress party to a major election victory in 1984, amassing the largest majority ever in Indian Parliament. The party won 411 seats out of 542. He began dismantling the Licence Raj — government quotas, tariffs and permit regulations on economic activity — modernised the telecommunications industry, expanded science and technology initiatives and improved relations with the US.