Biography of indira ghandi

(1917-1984)

Who Was Indira Gandhi?

The lone child of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, Indira Gandhi ascended to the position after his death in the mid-1960s. Gandhi survived party in-fighting, emerging as a popular leader thanks in part to efforts to revitalize the farming industry. Ousted from power in 1977, Gandhi was reelected prime minister in 1980, and served in the role until her assassination in 1984.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Indira Feroze Gandhi
BORN: November 19, 1917
BIRTHPLACE: Prayagraj, India
DEATH: October 31, 1984
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio

Early Life

The only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917. A stubborn and highly intelligent young woman, she attended schools in India, Switzerland and England, including Somerville College, Oxford.

With her father among the leaders of the Indian independence movement, Gandhi weathered his absences when he was imprisoned. Additionally, she endured the loss of her mother to tuberculosis in 1936. She found comfort with a family friend, Feroze Gandhi, but their relationship was a controversial one due to his Parsi heritage. Eventually the couple earned Nehru's approval, and they married in 1942.

After Nehru was named India's first prime minister in 1947, Gandhi became something of her father's hostess, learning to navigate complex relationships of diplomacy with some of the great leaders of the world.

Political Rise

Gandhi joined the Congress Party's working committee in 1955, and four years later she was elected the party's president. Following the death of her father in 1964, she was appointed to Rajya Sabha, the upper level of Indian parliament, and was named minister of information and broadcasting. When her father’s successor, Lal Bahadur Shastri, died abruptly in 1966, she ascended to the post of prime minister.

Seemingly on shaky ground following the Congress Party's narrow win in the

Indira Gandhi, daughter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, is the only woman who served as the Prime Minister of India. Born in the political family, she was the second longest serving Prime Minister of the country after her father. She was appointed the President of Congress party in 1959 and also served as her father's personal assistant from 1947 till 1964. After Nehru's death in 1964, she served as a Cabinet minister under Lal Bahadur Shastri's leadership but later became Prime Minister of the country in 1966 after Shastri's sudden death. From 1966 to 1977, she was able to retain the position but lost after an emergency was imposed by her in 1975 leading to a national discontent and countrywide protests. She returned to power in 1980 and during this time she ordered storming of Sikh Holy Shrine Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar and was assasinated on October 31, 1984 by her two Sikh bodyguards. Violence erupted in several parts of the country after her death in which Sikhs were killed by angry protesters. She was known for her strong personality and also went to war with Pakistan supporting the Independence Movement in East Pakistan leading to formation of Bangladesh. In 1999, Indira Gandhi was named 'Woman of the Millennium' by a BBC poll.

INDIRA GANDHI NEWS

Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984