Interesting Facts about Rajiv Gandhi

Quick Basic Facts about Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi by profession was a Pilot and served as 7th Prime Minister of India. He was the youngest ever Prime Minister.
Rajiv Gandhi when was a kid used to play with Mahatma Gandhi. Once during playing he put some flowers on his feet. At that time Gandhiji told him not to do so as flowers are kept to feet to a dead person only. The very next day Gandhiji was assassinated.
In the childhood Rajiv Gandhi was shy and introvert and used to do paintings. As opposed his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi was extrovert. This difference in personalities were apparent during adulthood also as Rajiv Gandhi choosed to remain away from limelight of Indian Politics while Sanjay Gandhi claimed unofficial powerful position in central administration.
Rajiv Gandhi studied in Welham Boys School Dehradun and later moved to Doon School. He went to England for pursuing Engineering degree at Trinity College, Cambridge but was not able to complete the degree. He then moved to Imperial College, London but left that course soon without completing the degree.
During his stay in London he came in contact with Edvige Antonia Albina Maino. After marrying her she was renamed as Soniya Gandhi.
After Brother Sanjay’s death in Air accident in 1980 he was forced by his mother to enter politics. He won the left out Amethi seat of his brother and entered in Lok Sabha in 1981.

On the same day of death of his mother India Gandhi he was made Prime Minister by the then President Zail Singh and soon declared general elections as the tenure of past government was almost complete. He won with a landslide victory, the biggest one in the history of India.
Rajiv Gandhi founded Jawahar Navoday Vidyalaya scheme in 1986 which is central government facility providing free residential education from class 6 to 12.
V P Singh, who was Finance Minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet opened out the scandal of Bofors Scam. He was thus dismissed from the cabinet and later from the party membership.
In the 1989 elections, V P Singh supported by BJP united the opposition parties to found Janta Dal. became the 8th Prime Minister. Congress party faced major losses due to the tarnished image of Rajiv Gandhi because of Bofors Scam.
Rajiv Gandhi sent IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) to Sri Lanka to help them fight the Tamil insurgents much to antogonise LITTE. This IPKF was later withdrawn as V P Singh came to power in 1989.
He was assassinated at Sriperumbudur near Chennai on 21 May 1991.