Rahul Gandhi's 49th Birthday: Five moments when Congress chief inspired every Indian

Wishes poured in from all quarters across the party line and social media was flooded with best wishes for Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who turned 49 on Wednesday, June 19. Among those who wished Rahul Gandhi on his birthday was his biggest political rival and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi took to Twitter to wish good health and a long life to the Congress chief on his born day. Born on June 19, 1970, Rahul Gandhi is poles apart in real life than he is depicted on social media. Behind the camera, even his most vocal critics of the BJP consider him as one of the most gentlemen politicians. Some even says that the Congress chief not marketing his good works is also one of the reasons he could not be able to get the desired success on political front. It was a little-known fact revealed by the mother of 2012 Delhi gang rape victim that Rahul Gandhi sponsored the education of Nirbhaya’s brother and helped him achieve him dream of becoming a pilot. He, however, never twitted about it.

On Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s birthday, we look back at five moments when he inspired Indians everywhere:

When Rahul Gandhi helped Nirbhaya’s brother

After brutal December 12 gangrape that shook the nation, several parties and welfare organisations had reached out Nirbhaya’s family. Rahul Gandhi was one of the leaders who quietly helped out the family. “The Congress leader had helped the grief-stricken family in "every way possible he could,” Badrinath Singh - the father of the 23-year-old whose fatal gang-rape in 2012 left the nation shocked and angry – had said. Nirbhaya’s brother completed his training and is now flying with a private airline. It was Gandhi, who had suggested the brother to pursue a pilots training course and got him admitted to the Uran Akademi in Rae Bareli, an IANS report said.

When Rahul Gandhi reached out to help an injured journalist

The Congress president turned a saviour when he helped an injured journalist reach the All Indian Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi in his vehicle. A video of Gandhi and the journalist, Rajendra Vyas, sitting in the vehicle is being shared on social media. According to news agency ANI, Gandhi spotted Vyas lying on a road after an incident. The Congress president then stopped his vehicle and took him to the AIIMS. In the video, Gandhi is seen dabbing the forehead of the journalist as they head for the hospital. The report added that the accident took place in Humayun Road in Central Delhi. Vyas owns a newspaper company in Rajasthan.

Going out of his way to help injured during Wayanad roadshow

During Lok Sabha Election campaigning, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was captured on camera to help journalist during his roadshow. Gandhi was seen helping three journalists to reach to the ambulance after a barricade broke during his roadshow in Wayanad. According to reports, the barricade collapsed on three journalists when they were trying to record Gandhi's roadshow in Kerala. All three injured journalists were immediately shifted to the local hospital.

When Rahul Gandhi donated his salary for Kerala floods

Leading by example, Gandhi along with other Congress leaders donated their salary for Kerala during mega floods last year. The decision to donate salaries was taken at a meeting of Congress general secretaries, party in-charges of states, legislative party leaders and state unit chiefs, which was presided over by party chief Rahul Gandhi.

When Rahul Gandhi fulfilled a toddler’s wish

A BBC report once described Gandhi as a ‘simple’ man who lacks the ‘wiliness and cunning of his rival’. Recently, Gandhi was in news for fulfilling wish of a toddler. The video of the girl Nida Farha, in which she is seen crying and pleading with her father to help her meet Rahul had gone viral a few earlier this month. A New Indian Express report said that it was Muslim League leader CP Cheriya Muhammad who later informed Gandhi’s aides about the two-year-old. On June 9, the toddler finally meth Gandhi during his thanksgiving roadshow in Kerala’s Mukkam.