President Pratibha Patil [Images], Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi [Images] on Wednesday paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 17th death anniversary.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Defence Minister A K Antony and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit were among those who paid floral tributes to the former prime minister.

Amid a continuous drizzle, the departed leader's widow and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, along with her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka Vadra, reached his memorial 'Vir Bhumi' to pay their tributes.

A prayer meeting was organised in the premises of the memorial.

A speech, given by the late Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, was also played at the end of prayer meet.

Minster for Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni, Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal and senior Congress leader Motilal Vora were among others who paid tributes to their beloved leader.

Youth Congress workers present on the occasion raised slogans in memory of the former Prime Minister, who was assassinated on May 21, 1991, during a public meeting at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Image: Priyanka Vadra, daughter of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, with her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi [Images] at Vir Bhumi.

Photograph: Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images