Indira ji was the most popular & bold P.M. of India.


S.S.Dogra 
(ssdogra@journalist.com)

In the democratic Indian history Mrs. Indira Gandhi is the only female Prime Minister. She was the daughter of Pt. J.L.Nehru who was the first P.M. of India. She born on 19th November,1917 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. But right from her childhood she was born & brought up in socio-political atmosphere and even with deep patriotism sentiments.

Tribute to the thirtieth death anniversary

A member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, she was married to Feroze Gandhi at the age of 25, in 1942. Her younger son Sanjay had initially been her chosen heir; but after his death in a flying accident in June 1980, Indira persuaded her reluctant elder son Rajiv Gandhi to quit his job as a pilot and enter politics in February 1981. Over a decade later, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.

Gandhi’s yoga guru, Dhirendra Brahmachari, helped her in making certain decisions and also executed certain top level political tasks on her behalf, especially from 1975 to 1977 when Gandhi “dissolved Parliament, declared a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties.The nature of his relationship with Indira Gandhi was the subject of speculation and he was known in some circles as the Indian Rasputin. She actively made very good foreign relations with many countries & India achieved many milestones during her tenure.

Just like her father, Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955, Indira Gandhi was also awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 1971 whilst serving as Prime Minister,

Unfortunately, she was assassinated by her own body gaurds namely Satwant Singh & Beant Singh on 31st October, 1984 who shot her with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Minister’s residence at 1 Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. It resulted into anti-sikh riots all over India. That’s the darkest chapter in Indian history after Independence.

In 2001, Gandhi was voted 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. Although, she is not live but her work and policies made her a living legend forever in the Indian political history.