Interesting Facts about Indira Gandhi

Quick Basic Facts about Indira Gandhi

Date of Birth – 19, Nov 1917
Place of Birth – Allahabad
Date of Assassination – 31 Oct, 1984
Date of becoming PM (1st term) – 24 Jan, 1966
Date of becoming PM (2nd term) – 14 Jan, 1980
Election Constituency (1st term) – Raebareli, UP
Election Constituency (2nd term) – Medak, Present Telangana (the then Andhra Pradesh)

Indira Gandhi was born in 1917 as the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru & Kamla Nehru at Swaraj Bhavan (Now Anand Bhavan) in Allahabad.
Ravindra Nath Tagore named her Priyadarshini and she was also called Indira Priyadarshini Nehru.
She enrolled at Oxford University after failing in first attempt to clear the entrance exam. But she was not able to complete her studies due to ill health and also due to effects of World War II. Later oxford University provided her Honorary degree.
Indira Gandhi came in contact with Feroze Gandhi (Parsi) during her stay in England to which she married later in Allahabad in Parsi manner.

Indira Gandhi served twice as the Prime Minister first in 1966 after the death of L B Shastri and second after huge victory in 1971 elections. She gave a popular slogan “Garibi Hatao” in 1971 elections.
After L B Shastri’s demise, the party president K Kamraj played a vital role in elevating her rank and choosing her as PM in comparison to Morarji Desai. Although the next party president S Nijalingappa expelled her from party due to discords with the senior party leaders.
The opposition leader A B Vajpayee gave her compliment of goddess Durga after getting huge victory over pakistan in 1971 war.

On an election petition filed by Raj Narain, in 1975 justice Jagmohan Sinha of Allahabad High Court cancels her election to Lok Sabha seat due to electoral malpractices, thus banning her from retaining the post of PM.
Political unrest soared as it was clear from the Court’s verdict that she could not continue as PM. Seeking the political chaos growing larger she imposed Emergency (1975 -77) with the hands of the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad.
As a result of Emergency, Sate Governments were suspended and President rule was imposed on the states run by opposition. Press censorship was issued. Coming state elections were suspended indefinitely. This censorship gave her power equivalent to Dictatorship.
Indira Gandhi’s son Sanjay Gandhi with his friend Bansi Lal, ruled the entire government unofficially.
After 2 years of Emergency rule, in 1977 General Elections were called and the Congress party which was already divided(Congress for Democracy separated out under Jagjivan Ram, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna etc) was crushed out badly by the opposition Janta Party under leadership of Morarji Desai. Indira Gandhi lost her seat from Rae Barely and Sanjay Gandhi lost from Amethi.
Jai Prakash Narain the noted socialist and Gandhian Leader played a major role in defeat of Congress by public meetings, rallies and protests. He also manged to bring all other parties to a common platform “Janta Party”.

The congress Party divided again and Indira Gandhi made her own party Congress (I). She won a By election from Chikmanglur constituency and reached Lok Sabha again in 1978.
Charan Singh who was the Home Minister in Morarji Desai’s Janta Party governoment framed apparently fictitious charges against her and she along with Sanjay Gandhi was arrested. But this backfired on Janta Party as she slowly gained sympathy of general masses during repeated trials and extending the jail term. Due to internal strife and discord, Morarji Desai had to resign and congress(I) gave outside support to Charan Singh and made him PM.
It was expected that PM Charan Singh will remove the charges against her and Sanjay Gandhi and set them free as a part of mutual agreement. But upon Charan Singh’s refusal of Dropping the charges Congress took back the spport and the Janta Party government fell down on Aug 1979.
Indira Gandhi came back to power for third term with huge victory in the general elections of 1980.

After the operation Blue Star to extract out Bhinderewala and its allies from the Blue Temple, she was assassinated on 31 Oct 1984 in the garden of her Official PM’s residence, 1 Safdarganj Road, New Delhi. Just a day before on 30 Oct 1984 she gave a popular speech at Secretariat of Orissa.