Rajiv Gandhi was way ahead of his times: Ansari

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was a man way ahead of his times as is evident from his presentation of a detailed plan for nuclear disarmament at the UN, Vice President Hamid Ansari said Wednesday.

"The most remarkable thing about him was that he put forward a detailed plan at the UN on nuclear disarmament," Ansari said while releasing a book "Resurgent India: Glimpses of Rajiv Gandhi's Vision of India" at the Parliament Annexe here.

The book, written by former Lok Sabha secretary general P.D.T. Achary, analyses and evaluates the contributions made by Gandhi during his prime ministership.

Environment Minister M. Veerappa Moily, who presided over the function, said: "Rajiv Gandhi was certainly not a politician, but that cannot be a disqualification to becoming a prime minister."

He said Gandhi unveiled a revolutionary educational policy for the country. "On every issue, his approach was holistic."

Achary said Rajiv Gandhi was "perhaps one of the most misunderstood prime ministers in Indian history".

"It is important to first understand the heart and mind of one of the nation's most influential leaders in order to be able to understand his ambitious policies in their entirety," he said.

"Rajiv was clearly ahead of his time. While we are still living in a time period of five-year plans, his policies envisioned two decades.

"I hope I have been able to capture the essence of his futuristic vision and provide a balanced perspective of the media trial that he underwent during his tenure."

Achary spent 40 years with parliament and is considered a constitutional and parliamentary expert.