Grand celebrations planned by Congress for Rajiv Gandhi\'s birth annniversary

New Delhi: The Congress party is set to celebrate former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's 75th birth anniversary on a grand scale with programmes being held across the country on August 20, sources said on Tuesday.

A meeting was called to the party war room late night on Tuesday to discuss and task the leaders with the responsibility to prepare for the celebrations.

According to sources privy to the development, on August 22, an event to mark his birth anniversary will be organised in the national capital.

Congress is planning to reach out to the public on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress Organisational Secretary K C Venugopal had also directed the party functionaries to observe the day at the state, district and block levels with the involvement of the general public at large.

He has also instructed the leaders that apart from the prayer meetings and floral tributes, social programmes such as blood donation camps, plantation of saplings, seminars, conferences can be held.

Congress is planning to send this message to the grassroots of the society to remind the public about the former Prime Minister's contribution to change the perception of the masses about the party.

In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.