New Delhi: As the ruling Congress party scion Rahul Gandhi turned 39 on Friday, the Indian Capital New Delhi reverberated with celebrations by party supporters. Although Gandhi himself is in London, his absence did not seem to have deterred his supporters who distributed saris, schoolbags and shoes among poor women and children. The AICC General Secretary has been credited with the party's emergence as the single largest party in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. The Congress decided to celebrate Rahul Gandhi's birthday as 'Samrasta Divas' and held the 'sahbhoj'. Several State PCCs also celebrated the occasion by organising various functions to mark the day. Born on June 19, 1970, he is a Member of Parliament from Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He has been widely credited with Congress's big win in the last general elections. His political tactics were: insisting on grassroots activism, building deep connections to rural India and trying to democratize the hierarchical Congress party itself. He turned down a Cabinet post in the Manmohan Singh Government and is concentrating on strengthening the party at the grassroots.
-June 19, 2009