Indira Gandhi's family. Biography of Indira Gandhi

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (November 19, 1917 – October 31, 1984) was an Indian statesman and a central figure in the Indian National Congress. She was the first and, to date, only female Prime Minister of India.

Indira Gandhi biography, who they are to each other with Mahatma Gandhi, photo: the beginning of a political career

Indira Gandhi belonged to the Nehru-Gandhi family and was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Despite her surname Gandhi, she is not related to the family of Mahatma Gandhi. She served as Prime Minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984, making her the second longest serving Prime Minister of India after her father.

Gandhi served as her father's personal assistant during his tenure as prime minister between 1947 and 1964. In 1959, she was elected president of the Congress. After her father's death in 1964, she was appointed a member of the Rajya Sabha (upper house) and became a member of Lal Bahadur Shastri's cabinet as Minister of Information and Broadcasting.

In the parliamentary leadership elections of the Congress party held in early 1966 (after Shastri's death), she defeated her rival Morarji Desai to become leader and thus succeeded as Prime Minister of India.

Indira Gandhi biography, who they are to each other with Mahatma Gandhi, photo: response to the revolution

As prime minister, Gandhi was known for her political ruthlessness and unprecedented centralization of power. In order to express her support for the independence movement, Indira went to war with Pakistan. As a result, India gained increased influence on the world stage, and it also became a regional hegemon in South Asia.

Citing overwhelming trends and in response to a call for revolution, Gandhi imposed a state of emergency from 1975 to 1977, during which basic civil liberties were suspended and the press censored.

Widespread atrocities were carried out during the Emergency. In 1980, she returned to power after free and fair elections. She was killed by her own bodyguards and Sikh nationalists in 1984. The killers, Bint Singh and Satwant Singh, were killed by other guards. Sattant Singh recovered from his wounds and was executed after being convicted of murder.

In 1999, Indira Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll organized by the BBC.

Indira Gandhi biography, who they are to each other with Mahatma Gandhi, photo: family, personal life and worldview

A member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, she married Feroze Gandhi at the age of 25 in 1942. Their marriage lasted 18 years until Feroze died of a heart attack in 1960. They had two sons - Rajiv (1944) and Sanjay (born 1946). Her youngest son Sanjay was initially her chosen heir, but after his death in a plane crash in June 1980, Gandhi persuaded her eldest son Rajiv to quit his job as a pilot and enter politics in February 1981.

Rajiv took over as prime minister after his mother's assassination in 1984 and served until December 1989. Rajiv Gandhi himself was killed by a suicide bomber on May 21, 1991.

Dhirendra Brahmachari helped her take certain decisions and also work out certain political tasks at the highest level on her behalf, especially from 1975 to 1977 when Gandhi declared the Emergency and suspended civil liberties.

In January 2017, a woman named Priya Singh Paul claimed that she is Indira's granddaughter and the biological daughter of Sanjay Gandhi. She claimed that she was given up for adoption and Indira Gandhi's daughter was hidden for political reasons.

Indira Gandhi biography, who they are to each other with Mahatma Gandhi, photo: awards

In 2011, the Bangladesh Freedom (Bangladesh Swadhinata Sammanona), Bangladesh's highest civilian award, was posthumously awarded to Indira Gandhi for her "outstanding contribution" to the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Indira Gandhi's main legacy was in the face of US pressure on Pakistan and East Pakistan becoming an independent Bangladesh. She was also responsible for India's entry into the club of nuclear weapons countries.

As the center of Indian politics for decades, Gandhi left a powerful but controversial legacy in Indian politics. The main legacy of her rule was the destruction of internal party democracy in the Congress party. Her detractors accuse her of weakening state heads of government and thus weakening the federal structure, weakening the independence of the judiciary and weakening her cabinet, hoping for power in her secretariat and her sons.

Gandhi is also associated with the strengthening of the culture of nepotism in Indian politics and Indian institutions. She also had an impact on the period of Emergency and the dark period in Indian democracy. She remains the only woman to ever serve as Prime Minister of India.

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Updated 08/27/2019

The world knows several female political leaders who managed to change the worldview of a large number of people and truly change the course of history. One of the few who left an indelible mark on the life of India is the amazingly strong-willed, strong-willed Indira Gandhi.

The biography of this woman, and also an influential political figure, is amazing. Her life and career path cannot leave either supporters or opponents of her political views indifferent.

Let's figure out why she became famous throughout the world, what results her government managed to achieve, why she is compared to the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher and what merits she was able to win among her people the unspoken status of “mother of all India”. We will find out all this in short biography of Indira Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi's childhood

The years of Indira Gandhi's life are 1917-1984. First of all, she is known as the Prime Minister of India from 1966-1977 and 1980-1984.

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 in the city of Allahabad, which is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The family into which she was born consisted of famous politicians, so she was destined by fate to follow the same path as her influential relatives. Her grandfather was Gandhi Motilal Nehru, who is known as the veteran leader of the Indian National Congress. And Indira Gandhi's father himself Jawaharlal Nehru , which was first Prime Minister of India and previously engaged in legal practice. At the time when his daughter Indira was born, he had just set out on the ornate path of a political career.

Note that even Indira Swarip's grandmother Rani Nehru and mother Kamala are also known for being political figures. At one time they had to endure severe repressions.

Childhood little Indira was unusual for a child. From birth she was surrounded by a large number of people who were famous in one way or another in India. For example, at the age of 2, without even realizing it then, she met an amazing man who could either be extolled by his comrades or vehemently hated by his enemies - the “father of the nation” himself. By the way, to the question of whether Indira Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi are relatives, the answer is short and simple - no. The subsequently famous Indian “Iron Lady” received her surname from a man who was also not a relative of the Mahatma. The Mahatma himself was called Mohandas Karamchanda in the world. He became an ideological leader for a huge number of followers thanks to his philosophy and the inculcation of the policy of “non-violence” throughout the world. But you can learn about this great man in another article dedicated to his life and work.

Just on the advice of the “father of the nation”, eight-year-old ambitious Indira organizes a labor union, which managed to unite many colleagues as young as her. In their grandfather’s house (his mansion was called the “Abode of Joy”) they were engaged in weaving. At one time, the headquarters of Indian nationalists was located in this same place.

Well, even then it became clear to Indira’s family and those around her that this girl would not go unnoticed by the general public. And the future “Iron Lady” of the Indian people herself tried as best she could to imitate her famous grandfather and father. From a very young age, she practiced public speaking, delivering inspiring speeches to children and then to young people.

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Traditional men's clothing in India

In 1960, Feroz Gandhi died, which is why Indira withdrew from politics for some time. Two years after the death of her father, in 1966, this strong and strong-willed woman became the Prime Minister of India. She held this high position only twice. She held this position for the second time before her death.

Indira Gandhi was able to do a lot for her state. The most significant achievements of her reign:

• Introduction of programs aimed at overcoming poverty.
• Active development of industrial sectors.
• Implementation of nationalization of banks.
• Reorganization of the health care system.
• Development of agriculture.
• Valuable contribution to the development of science and technology.

She managed to establish diplomatic relations with various countries, including the powerful state - the USSR. But there were also people dissatisfied with her rule.

Introduction of a nationwide family planning program in India

Since the birth rate in India was already too high, which led to an increase in poverty in the country, Indira Gandhi introduced forced sterilization of the population. It all started with the fact that spouses were asked to prevent pregnancy through the use of contraceptives, and volunteers were found among men who wanted to undergo sterilization, for which a bonus was paid or a transistor radio was given.

Further, the government decided that men who already have three children are subject to forced sterilization, and women who are pregnant with a fourth child are sent to have their pregnancies terminated. Because of such government actions, the number of people dissatisfied with Indira Gandhi's policies grew. Later, she somewhat softened her categorical views regarding birth control methods.

The tragic end of life and political journey

The life of the “Iron Lady” of India ended extremely tragically. The assassination of Indira Gandhi was carried out by the Sith, with whom the politician was in serious conflict. Moreover, she died at the hands of her own guards.

In what year was Indira Gandhi assassinated and where did it happen?? This terrible event happened in 1984, on October 31, in front of her house in Delhi. Her death was terrible. The Great Indira died from 31 bullets lodged in her body as a result of being shot at.

Today, the path where this woman took her last step is covered with a layer of crystal. This posthumous sign of respect was shown to her by the former Czechoslovakia, which admired the outstanding Indira Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi's legacy

And today the Indian “Iron Lady” has followers. There's even Indira Gandhi Square in Moscow . There are two monuments on it - one dedicated directly to Indira Gandhi, and the second to Mahatma Gandhi.

All over the world, including in India, the memory of this woman is still honored. Exists Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, which is the center of the country's civil aviation.

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Background

In June 1984, the Indian army carried out an operation to eliminate Sikh extremists located in the main shrine of Sikhism - the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The operation led to numerous casualties, including among peaceful pilgrims. As a result, the idea of ​​revenge against Prime Minister Indira Gandhi arose in radical Sikh circles.

Murder

The farewell ceremony for Indira Gandhi, which was attended by millions of people, took place at the Teen Murti House palace. Two days later, she was cremated according to Hindu rites on the banks of the Jumna. The funeral pyre was lit personally by Rajiv Gandhi, son and new prime minister. Speaking to the people, he said: “My mother gave her life so that Indians could live as one family. Don’t dishonor her memory!”
At the end of the official 12-day mourning, in accordance with her will, her ashes were scattered over the Himalayas.

In the will drawn up by Indira before the tragedy, she wrote that she transferred the “Abode of Joy” to the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Foundation, and that she bequeathed copyrights, art books, a small farm and a house near Mehrauli to her grandchildren Rahul and Priyanka. The path on which Indira Gandhi received her fatal injuries was covered with a crystal dome - a gift from the government of Czechoslovakia.

After the death of Indira Gandhi, the INC and the government were headed by her eldest son Rajiv. In 1991, he was killed by a suicide bomber from the organization "

This year, the Indian statesman, Prime Minister of India from 1966-1977 and 1980-1984, Indira Gandhi, would have turned 99 years old.

For the common people, Indira Gandhi became a symbol of supreme power, “the mother of all India.” Skillfully and flexibly implementing her views, she achieved respect not only in her native country, but also far beyond its borders.

Path to Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi was born on November 19, 1917 in Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh state in northern India) into a family that actively participated in the struggle for Indian independence.

Indira Gandhi's father, Jawaharlal Nehru, who later became the first Prime Minister of India after the country's independence in 1947, was at that time taking his first steps in the political arena in the Indian National Congress (INC) party. Gandhi's grandfather Motilal Nehru, one of the veterans and leaders of the "old guard" of the INC, enjoyed great fame.

National Archives of Georgia

Since childhood, the child listened to conversations about colonialism, about acts of protest, about civil disobedience, and met Mahatma Gandhi with his own eyes. And when the girl turned 8 years old, she organized a children's union in Allahabad for the development of home weaving, whose members made handkerchiefs and national hats - topi. During her rest hours, she gave fiery speeches to boys and girls, imitating her great ancestors.

And when in her grandfather’s house the family carried out a “revenge” on the colonialist past, the girl put her favorite toy - a foreign doll - into the common fire. Since then, Indira wore only national dress and was a true patriot of her country.

The girl received an excellent education, which allowed her to enter the People's University, created by the famous writer Rabindranath Tagore, where, along with Indian philosophy and culture, the foundations of the European tradition were also taught. Students studied foreign languages, world history, national and world literature, and spent a lot of time having soul-saving conversations with the founder-patriarch.

In 1936, Indira was forced to interrupt her studies due to her mother's illness. My father was in prison, my grandparents were no longer alive. She went with her parent to Switzerland for treatment, but tuberculosis had already affected the entire body, and the mother soon died.

Indira was supported by a young man, the namesake of the great Gandhi, who belonged to another religious community, despised by the Indian elite, which was considered the Nehru family.

Jawarharlal did not approve of his daughter's choice, but the mother had long blessed the children.

© photo: Sputnik / RIA Novosti

Indira did not want to return to her homeland, where no one was particularly expecting her, and she stayed in Europe. She entered Oxford, the university where her fiancé Feroz studied. And soon the Second World War began. Young people returned to India via the Atlantic and South Africa.

Having landed in Cape Town, the daughter of a political leader found her supporters. It was there that she made her first political speech.

Upon her return to India, she did not receive such a warm welcome - Jawaharlal continued to oppose his daughter’s marriage. And only the intervention of the great Mahatma Gandhi, who spoke out in defense of the unequal marital union, softened the father’s heart.

The wedding was held according to ancient Indian customs, and the young people began to build a family nest. In 1944, the first-born was born, and two years later the second boy.

After India achieved independence on August 15, 1947, the first national government was formed and Indira Gandhi's father became the first prime minister. His daughter became his personal secretary and accompanied him on all his trips abroad.

In 1959-1960, Gandhi was the chairman of the INC. In 1960, her husband died and she left politics for several months.

At the beginning of 1961, Gandhi became a member of the working committee of the INC and began to travel to hotbeds of national conflicts.

India's first female prime minister

After her father's death in 1964, Indira Gandhi did not seek the post of Prime Minister, but took the post of Minister of Information and Broadcasting in the government of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

In 1966, after the death of Shastri, Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister. In this position she faced strong opposition. In 1969, after her government nationalized 14 of India's largest banks, conservative INC leaders tried to expel her from the party. They failed to do this, and the right-wing faction left the INC, which led to a split in the party.

In 1971, war with Pakistan began. Under these conditions, Gandhi signed the Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation between India and the USSR.

© photo: Sputnik / M. Gankin

The consequences of the war caused a deterioration in the economic situation and increased internal tension, resulting in unrest in the country. In response, Gandhi declared a state of emergency in India in June 1975.

In 1978, having announced the creation of her party INC (I), Gandhi was again elected to parliament, and in the 1980 elections she returned to the post of prime minister.

Soon after returning to power, Gandhi suffered a severe personal loss - her youngest son and chief political adviser Sanjay died in a plane crash.

In the last years of her life, Gandhi paid great attention to activities on the world stage; in 1983, she was elected chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Indira Gandhi's second term was marked by conflict with Sikh separatists in the state of Punjab. The military operation "Blue Star" to neutralize Sikh extremists, carried out on the orders of the Indian government, led to the death of Indira Gandhi.

After the death of Indira Gandhi, the INC and the government were headed by her eldest son Rajiv. In 1991, he was killed by a female terrorist from the Sri Lankan Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in retaliation for sending Indian troops to Sri Lanka in the mid-1980s.

© photo: Sputnik / Yuri Abramochkin

Indira Gandhi in Georgia

Indira Gandhi visited Georgia twice. In 1955, she accompanied her father, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Then she and her father visited the Transcaucasian Metallurgical Plant named after Stalin in the city of Rustavi and the Digomi Viticulture State Farm in Tbilisi.

They also visited the Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theater. Zakaria Paliashvili, where we watched the ballet “Gorda” to the music of David Toradze and staged by Vakhtang Chabukiani.

photo: courtesy of National Archives of Georgia

21 years later, on June 14, 1976, Indira Gandhi again came to Georgia, but already with the rank of Prime Minister of India. Then Gandhi, together with the Indian delegation, attended a rehearsal of the amateur artistic group “Tsisartkela” in the concert hall of the Georgian Philharmonic and attended a gala dinner in her honor.

Great things

During the period when Indira Gandhi headed the government, all banks in India were nationalized, the first nuclear power plant was built, and industrial development was launched.

Under Gandhi, India overcame its dependence on imports, they began to pay great attention to the development of small and medium-sized farms, and proclaimed a program
"Family Planning" established a clear price policy and determined the maximum for real estate.

At the same time, social programs in the field of health and education were improved, ties with the USSR and other world powers were strengthened, and India took a dominant position in the South Asian region.

Quotes by Indira Gandhi

The true path of life is the path of Truth, Non-violence and Love

History is the best teacher who has the worst students

You cannot shake hands with clenched fists

I am like a bird in a cage that is too small: wherever I go, my wings beat against the bars... The world is a cruel place for the chosen ones, especially for those who know how to feel

My grandfather once told me that people are divided into those who work and those who take credit for the results of their work. He advised me to get into the first group - there is less competition there

The material was prepared based on open sources

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (1917-1984) - Indian politician, was a key figure in the Indian National Congress party, the only woman to be elected Prime Minister of India. In 1999, the British broadcaster BBC conducted a survey, according to the results of which Indira Gandhi was recognized as “Woman of the Millennium”.

Birth

Indira was born in the city of Allahabad on November 19, 1917. This ancient Indian city was considered sacred by Hindus and Muslims. In the place where she was born, all the moments significant for Hinduism were observed, although, contrary to tradition, this did not happen in her mother’s house, but in her grandfather’s house. Firstly, it was built on level ground, and most importantly, on sacred ground. According to legend, it was here that the ancient Indian epic hero Rama met with his half-brother Bharat. Mom gave birth to Indira in a room on the north side, which is also considered sacred by Hindus. The great, good and happy future of the newborn girl was also predetermined by the name of the house itself in which she was born - “Anand Bhavan”, which means “Abode of Joy”.

The baby let out her first cry, many people gathered in the room, and the voice of Motilal Nehru, the newborn’s grandfather, thundered above their heads: "This girl will be better than a thousand men". And then everything was according to Indian customs - drumming, lighting incense, lighting a fire, into which all the guests threw grains of rice for the happiness of a new life.

The girl was given a name in honor of her great-grandmother - Indira (“Country of the Moon”). This woman had amazing resilience; life tested her more than once. She was left without a husband early and thereby lost her means of livelihood, but managed to maintain the ancient status of the Nehru family.

In India, it is customary to give two names to a child; the second one chosen for a girl was Priyadarshini, which meant “Dear to the eye.”

Family

The family into which Indira Gandhi was born was very famous throughout India.
Her grandfather, Motilal Nehru, was a famous lawyer and a famous politician, the leader of the national movement in India. He founded the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty. His wife Swaruprani, Indira Gandhi's grandmother, came from the Kashmiri Brahmin caste and was also an active participant in the political struggle.

Indira's father, Jawaharlal Nehru, continued the family legal career, working in his father's law office. From his youth he was interested in politics, leader of the national Indian liberation movement, chairman of the Indian National Congress party. After the country gained independence, he was elected as the first Prime Minister of India.

Indira Gandhi's mother, Kamale Kaul, belonged to the middle class of Kashmiri Brahmins and was also a prominent representative of the national liberation movement. When the leaders of the Indian National Congress party were arrested in 1930, it raised all the women of Allahabad (high society and beggars, workers and peasant women) to fight the British government. All the women unanimously agreed with her decisions and listened to her advice. And when Kamale was arrested and imprisoned, she proudly declared: “I am very happy because I am following my husband. I'm proud of it! "

And how proud Motilal Nehru was of his daughter-in-law: “What a woman! My son Jawaharlal needed this wife.”

With such parents, Indira Gandhi could not have had any other path in life other than to enter politics and fight for independence and justice.

Childhood

The first bright and memorable event in the life of little Indira was 1919.
The two-year-old girl did not yet understand that in the Indian city of Amritsar, British soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters. Demonstrators took to the square to protest against the Rowlett Laws, under which authorities could imprison Hindus without trial or charge. This is how the British wanted to suppress the Indian independence movement.

The Indian National Congress then decided at its congress to completely boycott the British and their power. According to the program, India completely abandoned not only the titles and titles received from the British, but also English educational institutions, courts, furniture, clothing, dishes, and products.

Grandfather Motilal Nehru led the entire household that day, who pulled out expensive chiffon clothes, corduroy outfits, tuxedos and shoes, figurines and other foreign luxuries from their closets. All this was carried and thrown into a huge fire built in the courtyard of the house.

Indira remembered that night so well that a couple of years later, when a relative brought her a gorgeous gift from England, the girl refused the wonderful dress and burned the beautiful doll. Indeed, until the end of her life, she was never able to forget those childhood feelings when her hands did not obey and did not want to light a match and add brushwood, she felt so sorry for the doll. After this, the baby even fell ill, coming down with a high fever. Throughout her life, the iron lady Indira Gandhi did not like to light matches.

This is how a new life began in the life of little Indira and her family, without foreign excesses. Together with all of India, they protested against the arbitrariness of the British and dressed in homespun khadi.

The girl was only eight years old when, following the advice of public and political figure Mahatma Gandhi, she created a children's union. In their hometown they began to develop home weaving. The children gathered at Indira's house and spent a long time weaving topi headdresses.

Soon Indira had a brother, but the boy was born premature and died a day later. After this, my mother’s health began to deteriorate; doctors diagnosed tuberculosis and recommended that she go to Europe for treatment. Indira also went with her mother; for the next few years, her childhood passed between her native Allahabad and Geneva.

Studies

Indira did not want to study in European schools, and her father understood her perfectly, but he was an ardent supporter of the fact that a woman should receive an education. Jawaharlal looked for teachers for his daughter, and she was home-schooled. And the father himself invested a lot in Indira’s education; he taught her the history of India and the world. Often the girl was able to listen to what her father, grandfather and Mahatma Gandhi were talking about. Therefore, it is not surprising that already in adolescence, Indira more than once took part in demonstrations and even helped the fighters for independence as a courier.

At the age of twelve, the girl led the Allahabad Monkey Brigade. This group included children who dreamed of seeing India independent. Little fighters ran around the city and conveyed warnings about arrests to adults. Even then, Indira could lead a crowd of children with her incendiary speeches.

One day her oratory skills came in very handy. She was riding in a car that was carrying secret papers - the program of the disobedience movement. The car was stopped by a police officer. The girl convincingly asked him to let him through quickly and not to inspect the car, otherwise she might be late for school. So the important documents passed on in one piece and intact.

In 1934, Indira was enrolled as a student at the People's University, founded by the famous Indian public figure, poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore. But in 1936, the girl interrupted her studies because her mother died and Indira was supposed to become her father’s right hand. She went to England to get an education.

In 1937, Indira became a student at Somerwell College, Oxford, focusing on history, government and anthropology.

Political activity

With the outbreak of World War II, Indira returned to India. Her journey was long and passed through South Africa, where by that time many Indians lived. Her first public political speech took place before them in Cape Town.

In 1947, independent India was proclaimed, and when the new government was formed, Indira's father took over as prime minister. The daughter received the position of his secretary and now accompanied Jawaharlal Nehru everywhere. They traveled abroad together, and in 1955 they visited the USSR for the first time. Their trip began from the city of Sverdlovsk (now it is Yekaterinburg), where Indira was deeply struck by the power of the Ural Machine-Building Plant.

In 1964, Jawaharlal Nehru died. Lal Bahadur Shastri was elected in his place, and Indira became a member of the lower house of parliament. But soon she received an offer from Shastri to head the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

In 1966, Shastri died and Indira was chosen as Prime Minister. This was the second time in the world that a woman held such a position (the first was Bandaranaike Sirimavo in Sri Lanka).

Indira had to face strong opposition. In 1969, under her leadership, the nationalization of 14 Indian banks was carried out, after which conservative leaders even tried to deprive her of party membership. Colleagues also did not take the woman as prime minister seriously at first. But it was impossible to control Indira; she used all her rights and defeated her enemies one by one.

The main blow of Indira's policy was aimed at fighting poverty. At the beginning of her reign, 60% of the Indian population lived below the poverty line. Indira Gandhi managed to reduce this figure to 40%. The average life expectancy has also increased from 32 to 55 years.

Unresolved issues remained in her politics: religious and communal strife, inequality of lower castes, corruption and nepotism in appointments to responsible positions.

In 1971, Gandhi initiated the Indian military's invasion of East Pakistan; as a result of another Indo-Pakistani war, the Republic of Bangladesh was proclaimed. In these matters, she was fully supported by the Soviet Union. Relations between the USSR and India improved so much that the “Treaty of Friendship, Peace and Cooperation” was concluded.

Gandhi served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977.

In 1977, she overestimated herself a little, which led to defeat in the parliamentary elections. Her family was arrested twice, accused of corruption.

In 1978, Indira created a new party and re-entered parliament. The first attempt on her life soon followed; the terrorist threw a knife at Gandhi, but hit one of the guards. The criminal was arrested, and Indira was re-elected as Prime Minister in 1980.

At the end of her reign, Indira paid a lot of attention to world politics, as a result of which India was chosen as the chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. This is an international organization that united 120 states; their main principle was non-participation in military blocs.

The Sikhs living in the state of Punjab did not agree with this. Their leader created an independent self-governing community. Sikhs attacked Hindus, and in Amritsar they occupied the main shrine of India - the Golden Temple. The government carried out the military operation “Blue Star”, and the temple was liberated. But the Sikhs took brutal revenge for this.

On October 31, 1984, Indira was killed by Sikh bodyguards. Eight bullets fired at the woman hit all the most important organs, and it was not possible to save her.

Personal life

Indira's husband was politician Feroze Gandhi, a descendant of Parsis (a small group of Indians of Iranian origin). They belonged to different castes and, according to laws and customs, could not marry. But Feroz and Indira ignored traditions and became husband and wife in 1942.

In 1944, Indira gave birth to a son, Rajiv, and in 1946, Sajay.

In 1958, Feroz suffered a heart attack and retired from politics. In 1960, Indira's husband died.

Rajiv Gandhi was his mother's successor; on the day of her assassination, he was elected Prime Minister of India in the evening. He worked in this position for five years. In 1991, another election campaign took place, during which Rajiv went to Tamil Nadu. On May 21, a suicide bomber from a terrorist organization carried out a terrorist attack, as a result of which Rajiv Gandhi was killed.