Incredibly lucky and proud to have Rajiv Gandhi as my father: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid tributes to his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 76th birth anniversary on Thursday saying that he was "incredibly lucky and proud" to have him as his father.

"Rajiv Gandhi was a man with a tremendous vision, far ahead of his times. But above all else, he was a compassionate and loving human being," the former party president tweeted.

The tweet further read, "I am incredibly lucky and proud to have him as my father. We miss him today and everyday."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his 76th birth anniversary. "On his birth anniversary, tributes to former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji," PM Modi tweeted.

Rajiv Gandhi took over the charge of the Congress in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became India's youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40.

Born on August 20 in 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.