New Delhi:Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday marked the 82nd birth anniversary of his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi with a deeply personal tribute, recalling the pain his mother Sonia Gandhi endured after his assassination and expressing pride in her decision to publicly share her life story.In an emotional social media post addressed to his mother as “Mama”, Rahul Gandhi looked back on the last time he saw his parents together more than 35 years ago and spoke of the resilience with which Sonia Gandhi faced life after Rajiv Gandhi’s death.

“Mama, I last saw you and Papa together more than 35 years ago. Since the day Papa left, I have watched you face everything life threw at you with never-ending courage and dignity,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.

The Congress leader said that he and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were perhaps the only ones who could truly understand the difficulties their mother faced in the years following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. “Only Priyanka and I really know what you have been through, and how difficult your life after Papa truly was,” he said.