Indira Gandhi

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (इन्दिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गान्धी) (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was Prime Minister of India from January 19, 1966 to March 24, 1977, and from January 14, 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was one of modern India's most important political leaders.

Mother Indira

Goongi Gudia (Dumb Doll) and Woh Chokri (That Girl) were the derogatory nicknames addressed to the PM behind her back. Her elevation was in fact a bid by the Congress establishment to retain power, as the political fortunes of the Congress Party had over 17 years become sorely dependent on the "star of Nehru". The Syndicate, as the establishment was known, did not view Indira as a desirable leader but felt she was suitable as the public image of their government. Many political primma-donnas sought to tie their fortunes to Indira. The 1967 General Election returned Indira and the Congress Party to power with a sharply reduced majority, owing to a wide array of economic and social problems and public dissatisfaction with the Government.

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Indira's tenure began with a major food shortage on top of the usual back-breaking poverty, ignorance and economic stagnation. She succeeded in negotiating a major food import from U.S. President Lyndon Johnson, more U.S. economic aid and also made a hard decision to devalue the national currency in 1967. Indira refused to back Johnson over the Vietnam War, and Johnson defaulted on the promised aid package. She was also heavily criticized over the devaluation, which brought hardships to common people, and resulted in the alleviation of Morarji Desai to the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance. Desai had wanted the more powerful Home Ministry, but Indira succeeded in her gambit to prevent him from directly challenging her leadership.

Related Topics:
Lyndon Johnson - Vietnam War

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At this point the Kashmiri Mafia began building Indira's leadership. Indira's Personal Private Secretary, P.N. Haksar, a Kashmiri Hindu like her and an old contact from her college days, became her closest and most important political advisor. Haksar helped Indira build a constituency of support directly to her, and not the Congress Party. Indira also became a forceful orator. She used subtle imagery, such as dressing in attire common to the women in the state she was visiting, to build a visible connection with the people. She inherited the loyalty India's working and farming poor gave to her father by turning sharply to the left with a slew of socialist economic reforms. The most controversial of her reforms was the nationalization of all the country's banks. The move reflected the anger of ordinary people at the time as several private banks had collapsed, bankrupting depositors. Moreover, a large number of private banks were actually operated by holding companies with wide-ranging business interests which did not necessarily align with smallholders' interests. Desai and the right-wingers, as well as the economic establishment, staunchly opposed the move. The nationalized network of banks Gandhi created are successful and widely trusted institutions today, but have been accused of holding back India's economic performance due to inflexibility.

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On the death of President Zakir Hussain in 1969, the Syndicate backed Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, while Indira backed the Vice President and leftist V V Giri. The All India Congress Committee voted against Giri and Indira, who had called upon Congressmen loyal to her to disobey the AICC vote. The Congress Party soon convened a special session to strip Indira of her party membership, censure her and in effect dismiss her as Prime Minister. But only half the Committee met; the other half convened at Indira's residence, calling itself the "legitimate" AICC. The Indian National Congress, Godfather of the Indian Independence Movement since 1885, had split. The establishment rallied under the Congress (Organization), popularly referred to as the "Old Congress." Indira's supporters formed a thin parliamentary majority, as the Congress (R), or "Ruling Congress." In 1971, Indira galvanized her mass support with the "Garibi Hatao" (Eradicate Poverty) political campaign, and the Congress Party won an awesome majority in Parliament, giving her unprecedented power.

Related Topics:
Zakir Hussain - Neelam Sanjiva Reddy - V V Giri - Indian National Congress - Indian Independence Movement

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A major crisis was then brewing in East Pakistan, where more than 15 million Bengali Hindus were being forced out of the country into India by the Pakistani army, and ethnic cleansing had resulted in perhaps as many as 3 million deaths. A rebellion was promulgated, and Bengalis declared independence from Pakistan, creating Bangladesh. The Mukti Bahani, manned by dissenting Bengali soldiers of the Pakistani army and Indian Army-trained refugee volunteers, launched major attacks against the repressive West Pakistan-based regime. In the meanwhile, Indira led the Government in organizing relief camps. She visited Russia and the United States, and at the United Nations upheld India's right to intervene in this mass human tragedy. When the Pakistani air force struck at targets inside India, the Bangladesh Liberation War began. Within three weeks 93,000 Pakistani soldiers were captured, and Bangladesh was liberated. Indira Gandhi and Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's founding father, gave speeches to a gathering of hundreds of thousands in Dhaka, the new capital. At home, Indira was elevated to a Goddess-like status, with newborn girls named after her and comparisons to the Goddess Durga being made. Increasingly, she was called Mother Indira, having delivered the country to security and confidence in the future.

Related Topics:
East Pakistan - Bangladesh - Mukti Bahani - Indian Army - Russia - United States - United Nations - Bangladesh Liberation War - Mujibur Rahman - Dhaka - Durga

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