This passage can be considered as Indira Gandhi biography because it focuses on Indira Gandhi assassination as well as Indira Gandhi death and various important aspects of her life. This Indira Gandhi essay is full of Indira Gandhi history and Indira Gandhi information. She is also called Iron Lady of India
Indira Gandhi : The Iron Lady
Indira Gandhi was the first and so far the only woman Prime Minister of India. Born on November 19th, 1917 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Pt. Nehru-the first Prime Minister of the country. She went for her higher education to the University of Oxford, England. Inspired by her forefathers, Indira Gandhi joined the Indian National Congress in 1938 and also participated in the `Quit India’ Movement of 1942 for which she was also arrested with her husband Feroze Gandhi.
Indira Gandhi served as the Minister of Information and broadcasting under Lai Bahadur Shastri’s cabinet. Soon after
Shastri’s demise, Indira Gandhi assumed officers, the acting Prime Minister of India on 24th June 1966 and became the elected Prime Minister in 1967.
Indira Gandhi is remembered for her remarkable performance as the Prime Minister of the country. In her foreign policy, Gandhi remained non-aligned, wavering between the support of the United States and the USSR. Indira Gandhi also authorised the development of a nuclear weapon programme in response to China’s successful test in Lop Nur in 1967.
She also abolished the ‘Maharajas’ of various states, doing away with their privileges and titles. She also nationalised banks in July of 1969 as well as mines and oil companies. Under her leadership, the traditionally famine-prone India registered a successful Green Revolution, exporting a surplus of wheat, rice and other crops in 1970. In 1971, in response to a flood of refugees from East Pakistan, India fought an 11-month war against Pakistan and eventually defeated the neighbour creating an independent Bangladesh of East Pakistan.
She was re-elected as Prime Minister in 1971 on the success of the famous taribi Hatao’ slogan, but the accusations of electoral malpractice were levelled against her. In 1975, she was found guilty of election fraud and banned from politics for six years. However, she refused to resign and declared an emergency. During an emergency, she arrested dissenters, instituted a policy of forced sterilisation to control the population and censored the press. In 1977, she lost the elections. However, in 198o, Indira Gandhi again came to power to serve her fourth term as the Prime Minister.
In June 1984, Indira Gandhi ordered the Operation Blue Star to target the Sikh extremists. As retribution to it, Gandhi’s Sikh bodyguards assassinated her on 31st, October 1984. The entire country mourned her death. She was cremated on 3rd November, near Raj Ghat. This day is celebrated as Jatiya Sankalp Divas, a tribute to the memory of a great lady, leader and a remarkable statesman.
The success of Indira Gandhi, at the highest position of the world’s most populous democracy, has a lot of significance for the empowerment of Indian women, who have traditionally been subservient to men. In addition, she was also an inspiration to the people of Third World Nations.
