Unable to permanently stave off challenges to her power, Gandhi stepped down with her defeat in the election. She was briefly jailed in on charges of corruption, but the following year she won election to the Lok Sabha, the lower level of parliament.
In , she returned to power as prime minister. That same year, Gandhi's son Sanjay b. The prime minister then began preparing her other son, Rajiv b. During the early s, Gandhi faced increasing pressure from secessionist factions, particularly from Sikhs in Punjab. In , she ordered the Indian army to confront Sikh separatists at their sacred Golden Temple in Amritsar, resulting in several hundred reported casualties, with others estimating the human toll to be significantly higher.
On October 31, , Gandhi was shot and killed by two of her bodyguards, both Sikhs, in retribution for the attack at the Golden Temple. She was immediately succeeded by son Rajiv, who was left to quell deadly anti-Sikh riots, and her body was cremated three days later in a Hindu ritual. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.
Benazir Bhutto became the first female prime minister of Pakistan in She was killed by a suicide bomber in Narendra Modi is best known for rising from humble beginnings to become prime minister of India.
In March , despite the disapproval of her family, Indira married Feroze Gandhi, a Parsi lawyer unrelated to Mahatma Gandhi , and the couple soon had two sons: Rajiv and Sanjay. She was elected to the prominent member working committee of the Congress Party in and, four years later, was named its president. Within a few years Gandhi gained enormous popularity for introducing successful programs that transformed India into a country self-sufficient in food grains—an achievement known as the Green Revolution.
In , she threw her support behind the Bengali movement to separate East from West Pakistan, providing refuge for the ten million Pakistani civilians who fled to India in order to escape the marauding Pakistan army and eventually offering troops and arms.
Following the national elections, Gandhi was accused of misconduct by her political opponent and, in , was convicted of electoral corruption by the High Court of Allahabad and prohibited from running in another election for six years. Anticipating that her former popularity would assure her reelection, Gandhi finally eased the emergency restrictions and called for the next general election in March Riled by their limited liberties, however, the people overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Janata Party and Morarji Desai assumed the role of prime minister.
In , Gandhi campaigned under a new party—Congress I —and was elected into her fourth term as prime minister. In , the holy Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, was taken over by Sikh extremists seeking an autonomous state. In response, Gandhi sent Indian troops to regain the temple by force.
In the barrage of gunfire that ensued, hundreds of Sikhs were killed, igniting an uprising within the Sikh community. On October 31, , Indira Gandhi was assassinated outside her home by two of her trusted bodyguards, seeking retribution for the events at the temple. Maneka also publicly decried her treatment, stating, "I have not done anything to merit being thrown out.
I don't understand why I am being attacked and held personally responsible. I am more loyal to my mother-in-law than even to my mother.
Though the prime minister got Maneka to move out, she paid a price as well: Maneka took her son, Varun, with her, and being separated from a beloved grandson was a blow for Indira. As a female leader in the 20th century, Indira Gandhi was a member of a very small club.
Yet she had one friend who could understand what her life was like: the Iron Lady herself, Britain's Margaret Thatcher. Indira and Thatcher first met in They got on well, despite the fact that Indira was engaged in her undemocratic Emergency rule at the time.
And when Indira was temporarily out of power after her electoral defeat in , Thatcher didn't abandon her. The two continued to have a good rapport after Indira returned to power in Following Indira's own assassination a few weeks later, Thatcher ignored death threats to attend the funeral. The note of condolence that she sent to Rajiv stated: "I cannot describe to you my feelings at the news of the loss of your mother, except to say that it was like losing a member of my own family.
Our many talks together had a closeness and mutual understanding which will always remain with me. She was not just a great statesman but a warm and caring person.
One significant factor that buoyed Indira's political career was her heritage. As the daughter of India's first prime minister, the Congress Party was happy to put her in a position of leadership, then later selected her to become prime minister. After Indira's assassination, her son Rajiv succeeded her as prime minister. In , he was also assassinated, but the Nehru-Gandhi clan still wasn't done with politics: though Rajiv's widow, Sonia, initially declined the Congress Party's request to step into a leadership role, she eventually became its president.
By the election, Rajiv and Sonia's son Rahul had joined the Congress Party as well; however, the party went on to experience a big loss at the polls.
At a press conference, Rahul admitted, "The Congress has done pretty badly, there is a lot for us to think about. As vice president of the party I hold myself responsible. Yet not all Gandhis fared poorly in the election — as members of the victorious Bharatiya Janata Party, Maneka Gandhi and her son Varun are now in power, with Maneka serving as minister of women and child development though considering her acrimonious relationship with Maneka, this development likely wouldn't thrill Indira.
And despite their poor showing in , the Congress Party refused to accept Sonia and Rahul's resignations. It seems that various members of Indira's family will continue to play a role in Indian politics for the foreseeable future. So why does the Tudor monarch still fascinate us? Here are some surprising facts. Learn about the man and the legend that go well beyond his fruitful name. To remember FDR, who profoundly changed America with his New Deal programs, take a look at some fascinating facts about his life and legacy.
Learn about the life of the author of "Animal Farm" and " Take a look at the fascinating and tortured life of one of the greatest artists in world history. Learn about the writer behind the boy who refused to grow up who was also known for his joyful embrace of youth and creativity.
0コメント