Bhopal, May 21: Various political parties, social and cultural organisations on Wednesday paid rich floral tributes to the former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi on his 18th death anniversary.

MPCC President Suresh Pachauri has paid homage to late Rajiv Gandhi at the State Congress Committee office here on Wednesday. He garlanded to the portrait of the former Prime Minister.

On this occasion, MPCC vice presidents Rameshwar Neekhra, Arif Aqueel, Dr Govind Singh and Bisahulal Singh and general secretaries Rajiv Singh, Om Raghuvanshi, Mayor Sunil Sood, All India Women Congress general secretary Vibha Patel, secretary Atul Sharma, spokesmen Manak Agrawal, Mukesh Nayak, JP Dhanopiaand Arvind Malviya, Minorities Division President Haji Mohammed Haroon, Bhopal City Congress President Jahir Ahmed, Bhopal City Rural President Avinash Bhargava, former minister Tanwant Singh Keer, and other leaders paid homage to late Rajiv Gandhi.

Pachauri said that we have to fulfil the dreams of late Rajiv Gandhi by fighting terrorism and work for progress of the country as he envisioned.

Rameshwar Neekhra exhorted the Congressmen to follow the ideals of the late Prime Minister, and strengthen the Party under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. Rajiv Singh conducted the proceedings.

The MPCC in association with the Red Cross had organised a blood donation camp at the party office. 102 Congress leaders and party workers donated blood on the occasion. Suresh Pachauri was the first to donate blood. Arif Aqueel, Ajay Singh Rahul Bhaiya, Rajiv Singh, Haji Haroon, Ms Mahira, JP Dhanopia Dr Mahendra Singh Chouhan, Nasir Islam, Sanjay Sahu, Amit Sharma, Salim Ahmed, Farooq Ali, Chandrakant Dubey, Avinash Bhargava and other party workers donated blood. The donated blood will be kept at the Red Cross Society's Blood Bank for use by the needy.

Earlier, Pachauri and other Congress leaders garlanded and offered floral tribute to the statue of late Rajiv Gandhi in front of the Habibganj Police station at 8.30 AM.

Jawaharlal Youth Welfare Centre

On the Martyr's Day, the Jawaharlal Youth Welfare and Social Research Centre organised a seminar at Ravindra Bhavan. Former minister and MLA Ajay Singh 'Rahul Bhaiya' inaugurated the seminar by garlanding the photo of late Rajiv Gandhi and lighting the traditional lamp.

Ajay Singh said that the anti-national elements are raising their heads to disintegrate our country. We have been celebrating all religious festivals, fairs with unity and brotherhood. They are trying to instil poison in the society in the name of religion, caste and creed to disturb the social goodwill prevailing among different religions.

Remembering Rajiv Gandhi, Ajay Singh said that the former Prime Minister had tried to bring democracy to the villages. He wanted the rural India to be benefited by the electronic revolution to establish a modern society. It was because of his vision that at present people of all corners of the country is benefited due to electronic revolution, he added. He had envisioned the country should progress in such a way so that the benefit is shared by one and all.

Senior journalist from Delhi Ramsharan Joshi, Professor Nusrat Bano Roohi, Professor Hamidullah Nadvi, and journalist and Secular Manch coordinator LS Herdenia also expressed their views at the seminar. Herdenia said that the policy adopted by the BJP after the Jaipur blasts recently was not in the interest of the country. 'When the World Trade Centre was destroyed, no American had blamed American President Bush for the same', he said.

Ramsharan Joshi said that the terrorists have no religion. Some think all Muslims are terrorists. This is not right. If terrorism is the product of Islam, then why the Lal Masjid in Pakistan was attacked, he asked. The reality is that several Muslim countries are the most affected by terrorism, he said.

Sandesh Yuva Sangathan

Rajiv Gandhi Sandesh Yuva Sangathan organised a programme to pay homage to Rajiv Gandhi at its state office, Seva Sadan. Sangathan State President Rashid Patel, Dr PC Wahane garlanded the photo of the late Prime Minister. All workers took oath to fight against terrorism and communal forces and follow the ideals of Rajiv Gandhi. All stood silent for two minutes to pay homage. Siddharth Bansod, Shailesh Patel, Naseem Ansari, Bhanvar Singh Tomar, Kanti Varma, Anand Tiwari, State Women Congress General Secretary Noori Khan and a large number of Congressmen attended the function.

At JK Road the area Congress leaders and Congressmen paid homage to the late Prime Minister at the Congress Office at DK Towers, JK Road, Govindpura. RD Giri, HL Sharma, JP Dhanopia, Ms Ratna Saxena, Yogendra Kaushal, Mahesh Dubey, IM Qureshi, Pradeep Sharma, Mahesh Rajpoot, Pramod Sharma, Keshav Tiwari, JS Puri, Ullas Sonkar, GP Dixit, Onkar Singh, Paksh Khambra, JK Pathak, Mahesh Malviya, LP Sharma, Patiram, Vijay Singh, PP Shrivastava were among the prominent Congressmen who paid tribute.

BHEL Block Congress

BHEL Block Congress Committee, Saket Block paid homage to Rajiv Gandhi at Durga Chowk, Anna Nagar. Block Congress President Ullas Sonkar appealed to spread the ideals of late Rajiv Gandhi. MPCC General Secretary Rajiv Singh, former MLA PC Sharma, JS Puri, Govind Gopal, Pradip Sharma, HL Sharma, Mahesh Malviya, Balwant Shakya, Ganesh Dutt Mishra, PP Shrivastava, Fakira, Devrao Patil, Kachke, Rakesh Sharma, Mrs Laxmi Sen, Santosh Patil, Guddu Chouhan, and a large number of party workers were present to pay homage.

District Seva Dal

Tribute to late Rajiv Gandhi was paid by the District Seva Dal spokesman Mohammed Hashim Khan and others at his Nagar Nigam Colony residence by garlanding the photo of late Prime Minister and standing in silence for two minutes. Others who were present on the occasion include Shyamlal, Kayyum Qureshi, Abdul Rashid, Kalloo Bhai, Achche Khan, Radhey Shyam Panthi, Hemraj Badlani, Babulal, Mohammed Arif, Parvez Pyare, Usman Khan, Mohd. Shamim, Anand Rai etc.

District (City) Youth Congress

The District (City) youth Congress remembered late Prime Minister and paid homage. The Congressmen took oath to fight against terrorism. The party workers lighted lamp at Roshanpura Square in the evening at 7.30. Hundreds of party workers led by District (City) Youth Congress President Nasir Islam and senior party leaders were present on the occasion.

Chouhan pays tributes to Rajiv

By Our Staff Reporter

Bhopal, May 21: Glowing tributes were today paid across Madhya Pradesh to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who was assassinated on this day 17 years ago. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan offered tributes to Rajiv Gandhi after laying the foundation stone of the new building of the police headquarters here.

He also administered a pledge to police officials and other civilians to unitedly fight against terrorism and to maintain peace and communal harmony. MPCC chief Suresh Pachouri offered floral tributes at the statue of the former Prime Minister near Habibganj police station in the state capital.

A function was also organised at the Pradesh Congress office to lay tributes to Rajiv Gandhi.

Reports from Indore, Gwalior and Jabalpur said various functions were held across the state to pay tributes to the slain leader.