Indira

Gandhi Biography
One of the strongest political leaders of Independent India,
Indira Gandhi was the first woman to hold the office of the
Prime Minister. Check out this biography to get details about
her childhood, life, works, achievements & timeline.
Quick Facts
Nationality Indian
Religion

Hindu

Born on

19 November 1917 AD

Zodiac
Sign

Scorpio

Born in

Allahabad

Died on

31 October 1984 AD

Place of
death

New Delhi

Father

Jawaharlal Nehru

Mother

Kamala Nehru

Spouse:

Feroze Gandhi (m. 19421960)

Children

Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi

Education

University of Oxford, Badminton School, Somerville

College, Oxford, Visva-Bharati University

Quick Facts
1971 - Bharat Ratna
Awards

- Jawaharlal Nehru Award

- Lenin Peace Prize

Im age Source : http://pixshark.com/indira-gandhi.htm

Popularly known as the Iron Lady of India, Indira Gandhi earned
a formidable reputation across the globe as a statesman. Her
sheer sense of politics and exceptional skills catapulted her
position in the Indian politics, so much so that she went on to
become the first woman elected to head a democratic country.
Till date, she is the only woman to hold the office. Born in a
politically influential dynasty and growing in an intense political
atmosphere, Indira Gandhi had learned the trick of the trade
quite early in life. She possessed an authoritarian streak and
became the central figure of the Indian National Congress party,
post her fathers death. She was known for her political
ruthlessness and extraordinary centralization of power. It was
during her premiership that India became the regional power in
South Asia with considerable political, economic, and military
clout. She also presided over a state of emergency and made
considerable changes to the Indian Constitution. She used the
army to resolve numerous internal disputes and encouraged a
culture of sycophancy and nepotism, due to which she rubbed
many Indians on the wrong side. Gandhi initialized the
Operation Blue Star, which gave her a critical reputation and
eventually scripted her assassination.

Childhood & Early Life

Born as Indira Nehru to Jawaharlal Nehru, independent
Indias first Prime Minister, and Kamla Nehru, she was the
only child of the couple, a younger brother dying in
infancy.
Unlike others, her childhood wasnt a happy one, as her
father was mostly away from home due to his political
commitments and her mother frequently suffered from
bouts of illness.
She attained her preliminary education at home after
which she briefly attended school to complete her
matriculation. Indira was enrolled at the Viswa Bharti
University in Calcutta but had to leave the same due to
the ailing health of her mother in Europe.
Post the death of her mother, Indira attended the
University of Oxford in Britain, where she studied history,
political science and economics. However, due to her
constant ill-health, she returned to India without a degree.
Political Pursuits
WAfter the death of her father in 1964, Indira Gandhi was
appointed as a member of the Rajya Sabha. She also
became one of the members of Lal Bahadur Shastri's
cabinet, serving as the Minister of Information and
Broadcasting.
T he untimely death of Lal Bahadur Shastri saw numerous
contenders for the position of the Prime Minister.
However, unable to come to a single conclusion, Indira
Gandhi was chosen as the compromised candidate as
they thought her to be easily manageable. She became
the Prime Minister of India in January 1966.
Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India and
continued to serve the same until 1977. As the Prime
Minister, Indira Gandhi showed exceptional political skills
and resolve and drove out many senior Congressmen out
of the party and power. T his led to internal dissent in the

party, leading to a split in the Indian National Congress in

1969.
As Prim e Ministe r
During her term as Prime Minister, Gandhi brought about a
radical change in the countrys economic, political,
international and national policies. She oversaw the
implementation of over three Five-year plans - two of
which were successful in meeting the targeted growth.
One of her crucial economic decisions included the
nationalization of fourteen major commercial banks. T he
move proved to be fruitful as it improved the geographical
coverage of banks with the number of branches rising
from 8200 to 62000. Furthermore, the nationalization of
banks increased household savings and saw investment in
small and medium-sized enterprises and agricultural
sector.
She then nationalized the coal, steel, copper, refining,
cotton textiles, and insurance industries. T he main aim of
this move was to protect employment and secure the
interest of the organised labor. As for the private sector
industries, she brought them under strict regulatory
control.
Gandhi even nationalized the oil companies after the 1971
war against Pakistan when India faced oil crises. With
this, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and the Bharat Petroleum
Corporation (BPCL) were formed. T he oil companies had
to keep a minimum stock level of oil, to be supplied to the
military at the time of need
It was during Gandhis premiership that Green Revolution
brought remarkable change in the agricultural production
in India. She changed the course of the nation - from an
import dependent country, India could now manage a
decent portion of its demands from domestic production.
She mainly targeted at growth with stability and
progressive achievement of self-reliance.

In 1971, Gandhi supported the East Pakistan in the

Pakistan Civil War, which led to the formation of
Bangladesh. T his helped India bring the Himalayan states
under the influence of the country. While Nepal and
Bhutan remained aligned to India, Sikkim was
incorporated as an Indian state in 1975, through a
referendum.
Under the administrative policy of Gandhi, Meghalaya,
Manipur, Tripura, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh
were given statehood. As for Chandigarh and Arunachal
Pradesh, both were declared a union territory.
While Indira Gandhi shared strong ties with Soviet Union,
her relationship with the US was a strained one. During
her premiership, she also maintained close ties with
Bangladesh but the same continued only until 1975. Post
the assassination of Bangladesh Prime Minister, Shiekh
Mujibur Rahman, the ties between India and Bangladesh
soured.
During her term as the Prime Minister, Gandhi worked
hard to normalize relations and reopen diplomatic
establishments between India and Pakistan. T hough
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had agreed for the same, the rise to
power of General Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan in 1978 caused
an absolute downfall, marring all efforts of better
relations.
Gandhis ties with the Southeast Asian countries were
strained, due to her pro-Soviet tilt and ASEANs proAmerican ties. However, the same was revived following
Gandhi's endorsement of the ZOPFAN declaration and the
disintegration of the SEAT O alliance, but it did not do
much to strengthen the ties.
Gandhi also brought social reforms by introducing clauses
in the Indian Constitution related to wages - equal pay for
equal work to both men and women.
State of Em e rge ncy & Loss at 1977 Ele ctions
After the 1971 elections, the opposition parties accused

her of using unlawful methods and electoral fraud to win

the elections. Due to this, a case was filed in the
Allahabad High Court which found Gandhi guilty of using
state machinery for election campaign.
T he court, on June 1975, declared the elections null and
void and unseated Indira Gandhi from the Lok Sabha.
Additionally, she was banned from contesting for the next
six years.
T hese were trying times for India. T he country was still
recuperating from its war against Pakistan, and faced
drought and oil crises. To add to the woes, the strikes and
political protests affected the economy and created
disorder across the country. To curb the same, Gandhi
advised President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare a state
of emergency.
T he period of emergency in India lasted for 21 months,
from June 1975 until March 1977. It bestowed on Gandhi
the power to rule by decree, thereby suspending elections
and all civil liberties. T he entire country, including the
states, came under the rule of the Central government.
During the emergency, all the publications were subjected
to censorship by the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting. As such, no one could raise voice against
the act of government.
Gandhi extended the state of emergency twice, before the
elections of March 1977. T he Janta Party, led by Moraji
Desai and Jai Prakash Narayan appealed to the people
that it was the last chance to choose between democracy
and dictatorship.
T he result of the election was not much of a surprise. T he
Congress party was defeated convincingly, winning just
153 seats. Both Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi
lost their seats.
T he Janta Party, led by Moraji Desai, ordered the arrest of
Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi on charges of planning
to kill the opposition leaders during emergency. T he move,

however, proved to be futile as none of the charges were

proved. Whats more, Indira Gandhi gained sympathy from
the people.
T he Janta Party leaders had little in common except for
their united hatred towards Indira Gandhi. As such, the
government did not function well. T he division in the Janta
Party resulted into Desais stepping down and Charan
Singh being appointed the new Prime Minister. However,
this also did not work for long and the Parliament was
dissolved in the winter session of 1979 and election was
announced in 1980.
Se cond Te rm as Prim e Ministe r
Most of the second term of the premiership of Indira
Gandhi was spent resolving the political problems of
Punjab. A secessionist movement had been initiated by
Jarnail Singh Bindranwale, who along with his troops had
found base at the Golden Temple, the sacred place of
worship for the Sikhs.
Bindrawale, along with his supporters, had started a
campaign against the government, moderate Sikhs and
Hindus.
To curb his growth to power, Gandhi commenced
Operation Blue Star. T he main aim of the Operation was
to strip clean the Golden Temple from the terrorists and
subdue Bindrawale and his men. Operation Bluestar
successfully subdued Bhindarwale and his team but
several civilians lost their lives and the shrine was ruefully
damaged. Due to this, Gandhi earned the hatred of Sikhs
who declared Bindrawale a martyr of the 21st century.
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
Indira Nehru and Feroze Gandhi knew each other since
childhood - this acquaintance slowly matured into a
relationship when both of them were in the UK for their
studies. T hey got married in March 1942 and were later
blessed with two sons - Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.

Operation Blue Star changed her life as two of her Sikh

bodyguards, deeply hurt by the insult heaped upon the
Sikh nation, shot her to death, in order to avenge the
insult.
T hough Gandhi was taken to the All India Institute of
Medical Sciences and was operated upon, she failed to
survive and was declared dead. She was cremated near
Raj Ghat - the spot is now known as Shakti Sthala. Her
funeral was televised live on numerous domestic and
international channels.
In an attempt to honor and pay tribute to the great political
leader, the central government launched the low-cost
housing programme for the rural poor under her name,
Indira Awaas Yojana.
T he international airport at New Delhi is named Indira
Gandhi International Airport in her honour. She also has
one of the largest universities in the world, Indira Gandhi
National Open University, named after her.
An annual award for National Integration, Indira Gandhi
Award was conceptualized and established by the Indian
National Congress in 1985.
She was voted as the greatest Indian Prime Minister in a
poll organised by India Today. She was also named
Woman of the Millennium in a poll organised by the BBC
in 1999.
T he University of Oxford conferred Gandhi with an
honorary degree. It also selected her as one of the ten
Oxasians, illustrious Asian graduates from the University
of Oxford.
T he Government of Bangladesh bestowed upon Gandhi its
highest state award for her outstanding contribution to
the country's independence.
Triv ia
She is the first woman Prime Minister of India, who ruled
the country from 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984.

She imposed a State of Emergency in India in June 1975,

which lasted for 21 months until March 1975. She ruled by
decree during Emergency and brought the entire country
under the rule of the Central government.
She initiated the Operation Blue Star to strip clean the
Golden Temple from the terrorists supporting Bindranwale.
It eventually led to her assassination.