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Indira Gandhi was India’s first female Prime Minister, serving four terms from 1966 to 1984. She was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement and played a key role in organizing refugee camps during the partition of India. Gandhi’s domestic policy was criticized as authoritarian, and she declared a state of emergency in 1975, leading to the jailing of political enemies and press censorship. She was assassinated in 1984 by two of her own guards, believed to be Sikh rebels.
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was Prime Minister of India and was the first woman to hold this position in India. Gandhi is notable both for the work she did while in office and as a figure of female force and action in the political arena. Indira Gandhi was elected to the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of India on four separate occasions. She served three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977. She was subsequently elected to a fourth term in 1980, which she served until her assassination on October 31, 1984.
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917. The daughter of prominent Indian politician Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi seemed destined for life in the political arena. During her childhood, Indira Gandhi and her family were visited by the influential Mahatma Gandhi, under whose leadership her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, participated in the Indian independence movement. She would later join the movement as well.
During the time of her education at the University of Oxford, England, Indira Gandhi participated in political activism including the independence movement called the India League. In 1941 she married the activist Feroze Gandhi, with whom she later had two children. In 1947, she helped organize refugee camps for Pakistani refugees during the partition of India. This was, perhaps, her first substantial act of public service.
India later gained autonomy from the official British government, adopting a Constitution on January 26, 1950, which proclaimed the country a Republic. Indira Gandhi’s father Nehru became the first Prime Minister of the newly formed Republic of India. During his tenure, he acted as his father’s assistant, surely learning much that he would eventually use during his term as Prime Minister.
Gandhi was elected president of the Indian National Congress in 1960 and, following her father’s death in 1964, became a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament. She was appointed to this position by then President Kamaraj, who would later be a source of support in her campaign to become prime minister.
In 1966, Indira Gandhi became the third Prime Minister of India after winning a landslide election. Shortly after his election, the Indian National Congress dissolved and Gandhi gained popularity among socialist parties. He nationalized the banks and received praise for his 1971 victory in the Indo-Pak war. It was during this period that India became the newest nuclear power in the world. Another major achievement in India, the Green Revolution, also occurred during this period. The Green Revolution of the 1960s, officially known as the Intense Agricultural District Program (IADP), transformed India from a country in need of external food aid to a major food exporter.
In 1971, Indira Gandhi campaigned for a second term as Prime Minister and continued to make the fight against hunger and poverty one of her top priorities. Her cry for Garibi Hatao, which means “Eliminate Poverty,” was a major factor in her eventual election, although the effectiveness of the Garibi Hatao programs has since been questioned.
Gandhi’s domestic policy came under attack, as some viewed it as borderline authoritarian. Inflation and a weak economy led to widespread outpourings of criticism of Gandhi’s government. In June 1975, Gandhi was accused of using illegal practices during her previous election campaign and she was found guilty by the Allahabad High Court.
Amid calls for his resignation, Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India, which led to the jailing of his political enemies, denial of constitutional rights and press censorship. Indira Gandhi called for fresh elections in 1977 but was defeated by the opposing political parties. Now in power, enemies of Gandhi’s government ordered the arrest of both Gandhi and his son Sanjay, who had also been criticized for supporting him and carrying out unpopular social and political activities.
The arrest led to Gandhi’s expulsion from Parliament, but ended up earning his sympathy during his lengthy trial. Indira Gandhi called upon her established social skills and set about working to turn public opinion back in her favor. She started giving speeches, in which she apologized for her previous mistakes. She not only restored her own popularity, but also the former power of Congress, and became Prime Minister for a fourth term in 1980. She ruled until 1984, when she was assassinated by two of her own guards. her body, believed to be Sikh rebels.
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