They were accompanied by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, her husband Robert Vadra to the Veer Bhumi here, where many Congress veterans and leaders, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also paid tributes at the Rajiv Gandhi Samadhi.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted his father was "a kind, gentle and affectionate man whose untimely death left a deep void in my life".

"I remember the times we had together and the many birthdays we were lucky to celebrate with him when he was alive. He is greatly missed, but his memory lives on," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi. "Tributes to our former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv GandhiJi on his birth anniversary. We remember his efforts towards the nation."

Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot also visited the former Prime Minister's memorial and paid tributes.

All India Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Fondly remembering our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhiji on his birth anniversary".

Born on this day in 1944, Rajiv Gandhi served as the seventh Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took to office after the 1984 assassination of his mother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He was the youngest Prime Minister of India at 40. He was assassinated by a suicide bomber in 1991 in Tamil Nadu's Sriperumbudur during an election campaigning.