Indira Gandhi

 

 

 

Indira Gandhi was born in Allahabad, India, on November 19, 1917, an only child. In order to receive a well-rounded education, Indira attended Visva-Bharat University in West Bengal and the University of Oxford. In 1942, Indira met and married Feroze Gandhi, a member of the national Congress Party like herself.

In January 1966, Indira was elected as the president of the Congress Party after the death of the former president. She also became the Minister of Information and broadcasting as well as Prime Minister of India. However, one year later, she lost the election, but she won the election again in 1971.

Also in 1971, Indira aided in the creation of Bangladesh (formerly East Bengal) by supporting East Bengal in a war against Pakistan. Once more, bad luck came Indira’s way, and in March 1972, she was accused of violating the election’s rules. In 1975, she was deprived of her position, but she tried to keep her seat by putting India in an emergency state.

Once more, in 1977, Indira lost the election, but her supporters created the Congress (I) Party (with the “I” standing for “Indira”) and they both were able to regain the election in 1980. However, Indira repeatedly received threats about India’s political integrity, and even some Sikh extremists used violence with their autonomous demands. In order to stop the Sikh extremists, Indira bombed the Golden Temple of the Sikhs in June 1984. Around 450 Sikhs were killed in this bombing.

Seeking revenge for the bombing of the Golden Temple, two Sikh extremists, posing as Indira’s bodyguards, assassinated Indira on October 31, 1984, in India’s capital of New Delhi. One gunman was killed, and the other was wounded. Indira had done much for her native country of India, including all that is mentioned above, but she also established close relations between India and the Soviet Union and developed India industrially.