Indira Gandhi

Born : - 19th November, 1917, at Allahabad.

Death :-  31^st October, 1984, at New Delhi.

                Indira Gandhi was the first and the only female prime minister of India. Indira was the only child of Kamala and Jawaharlal Nehru. Her full name is Indira Priydarshini Jawaharlal Nehru. She was born in 1917, Allahabad. She received her college education at Somerville College, Oxford. In 1942 she married Feroze Gandhi, a fellow member of the Indian National Congress.

               After her father's death in 1964 she was appointed as a member of the Rajyasabha. She served as prime minister of India for three consecutive terms (1966-77) and a fourth term from 1980 until her death in 1984. When Indira became prime minister in 1966 the congress was split in two factions the socialists led by Indira Gandhi and the conservatives led by Morarji Desai.

              On Shastri's sudden death in 1966 Indira Gandhi became leader of the congress party. In July, 1969 she nationalized banks of India. She is also known as ‘Iron Lady of India’. Indira strongly supported East Bengal in its secessionist conflict with Pakistan in late 1971 and Indian army won the war that led to the creation of Bangladesh.

              In 1972's election she won but shortly afterward her defeated socialist party opponent charged that she had violated the election law. In June 1975 the high court of Allahabad ruled against her. In response she declared a state of emergency throughout India. During this period she implemented several unpopular policies. In 1977, Indira and her party were soundly defeated. The Janta party won the election.

              Instead of all setbacks Indira won the election of 1980. After Sanjay Gandhi's death in airplane crash, she trained her other son Rajiv for politics. Indira adhered to the quasi-socialist policies of industrial development. She established closer relations with the Soviet Union. Sikh separatists in Punjab state used violence to assert their demands for an autonomous state. In response Indira ordered an army attack in June 1984 on the Hari Mandir at Amritsar which led to the deaths of more than 450 Sikhs. This mission was called an ‘Operation Bluestar’.

             Five months later Indira was killed by two of her own Sikh bodyguards in revenge for the attack on the Hari Mandir. She was awarded the Lenin Peace prize for 1983-84. She also promoted science and technology. In 1971 India sent its first satellite into space. Gandhi also led a movement; green revolution to fulfill the food shortages mainly affected poor Sikh farmers. In 1984 under the direction of Indira India's first nuclear weapon explosion took place in Pokhran the name of the mission is smiling Buddha.