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.

Legacy

Rajiv Gandhi entered politics in February 1981 and became Prime Minister on his mother's death, later (May 1991) himself meeting a similar fate, this time at the hands of Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam LTTE militants. Rajiv's widow, Sonia Gandhi, a native Italian, led a novel Congress-led coalition to a surprise electoral victory in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, evicting Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from power. Sonia Gandhi controversially declined the opportunity to assume the office of Prime Minister but remains in control of the Congress political apparatus; Dr. Manmohan Singh, notably a Sikh and a Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist, now heads the nation. Rajiv's children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, have also entered politics. Sanjay Ghandi's widow, Maneka Gandhi, who had a falling out with Indira after Sanjay's death, as well as his son, Varun, are active in politics as members of the main opposition BJP party.

Related Topics:
1981 - 1991 - LTTE - Sonia Gandhi - 2004 - Lok Sabha - Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Manmohan Singh - Rahul Gandhi - Priyanka Gandhi - Maneka Gandhi - Varun - BJP

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To this day, Indira's legacy as Prime Minister remains mixed. She was a strong, forceful personality and her reign was popular with many segments of India's population, especially the young and the poor. Her phrase "poverty is the greatest pollutor" in her remarkable speech at the first UN World Environmental Conference in Stockholm in 1972 set her (and India at the time) apart in attempting to harmonise environmental and developmental concerns in developing countries. In her early struggles to gain control of the Congress party, she transformed Indian politics by appealing directly to the people and subverting the established structure of Congress. The inadvertant result of this was fragmentation of the political hierarchy, resulting in the later rise of parties such as the BSP and the Samajwadi Party, allowing previously marginalised communities to gain polical representation. Her decision to declare a state of emergency polarised the country, and many Sikhs still resent her for Operation Bluestar and the human rights violations of the subsequent operations repressing the insurgency and restoring public order in Punjab.

Related Topics:
BSP - Samajwadi Party - State of emergency - Operation Bluestar - Punjab

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It may appear ironic to suggest that Indira was vital for India's democracy and unity, but given that the faith in democracy of hundreds of millions of people united only in poverty and ignorance depended upon iconic leaders and guardians like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, this could arguably be true. What was to prevent Indians, in the absence of Gandhi and Nehru, to trade in their democracy for a strong-headed dictator in face of the national insecurity and economic deprivation that defined the 1960s for India? Indira united India's people and kept them enthusiastic about voting and government. Even her abrogation of civil liberties and democratic freedoms during the Emergency was economically helpful and politically maturing, sparking a civil disobedience movement and political revolt akin to India's earlier struggle for independence. It was reassuring to know that India's people would not back the suppression of democracy, nor take their freedom for granted, and that no leader or political party was above the will of the people. Indira's mistakes made this possible.

Related Topics:
Mahatma Gandhi - Jawaharlal Nehru - Indira Gandhi

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Indira's unhesitating war leadership reassured the people, increasing their faith in its future and security of their government, freedom and everyday lives. It kept the country united by showing that the nation was prepared to fight against any and all enemies. And that an Indian woman was the one making such tough decisions was only more discomforting to India's pessimists and enemies. Although most Sikhs and many Hindus denounced Operation Bluestar and Indira's brutal fight against terrorist movements, Indira's hard-nosed, zero-tolerance approach to secessionists was welcomed by many millions who were afraid of another Partition of India, and its eventual disintegration along religious and ethnic lines.

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