Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi (राजीव गान्धी) (August 20, 1944 – May 21, 1991), the first son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi, was the Prime Minister of India from his mother's death on October 31, 1984 until his resignation on December 2, 1989 following a general election defeat.

Prime Minister

Elected for Sanjay's Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh state in February 1981, Rajiv was chosen as prime minister by the party leadership within hours of his mother's assassination by two of her Sikh bodyguards. Some accuse him of not doing enough to stop the anti-Sikh riots which ensued. Commenting on the genocide, he said, "'When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes". Two months later he won a landslide general election on the wave of popular sympathy surrounding his mother's assassination.

Related Topics:
Lok Sabha - Amethi - Uttar Pradesh - 1981 - Sikh

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During his tenure as Prime Minister of India,he brought a certain dynamism to the premiership. He was instrumental in greatly improving ties with the United States and is credited with promoting computerisation in India.

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