Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi, also known as Priyadarshini, was the only female Prime Minister of India till date and the 2nd-longest serving prime minister of India, serving 4 tenures during 1967-1984. Todays, growth in the banking sector reflects the contributions made by Smt. Indira Gandhi. This article intends to highlight a comprehensive overview of the biography and contributions of Indira Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi was born on 19th November at Prayagraj (Allahabad) was an Indian politician who was the first female prime minister of India, serving for four terms, 1966 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984. She was the lone child of Jawaharlal Nehru who was the first Prime Minister of India. Her grandfather Motilal Nehru was one of the pioners of Indian independance movement and a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Indira Gandhi was married to Feroz Gandhi and the couple were blessed with two children - Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi was elected as the leader of Congress Legislative Party following the death of Lal Bahadur Sastri, then Prime Minister in 1966. Her decesions as the Prime Minister of India, made her one of the most popular prime ministers ever in the history of Indian politics. In 1975, Smt. Gandhi and her cabinet recommended to the President of India Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare a state of emergency, which the president did in 1975. Emergency continued till 1977 and elections were declared in the year 1977. Indira Gandhi and Congress party lost the elections and Morarji Desai became Prime Minister of India. Infighting within the Janata Party led to the collapse of Morarji Government and Indira returned to power in 1980 for the fourth time. Indira Gandhi was assasinated on October 31, 1984, by her two bodyguards outside her home, who had sought revenge for Operation Bluestar which was happened at the Golden Temple. On November 3rd 1984, Indira Gandhi was cremated at Shakti Sthal, a memorial located within Raj Ghat in New Delhi.