Rajiv Gandhi
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| Rajiv Gandhi | |
|---|---|
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| Gandhi in 1989 | |
| 6th Prime Minister of India | |
| In office 31 October 1984 – 2 December 1989 | |
| President | Zail Singh R. Venkataraman |
| Preceded by | Indira Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | V. P. Singh |
| Minister of External Affairs | |
| In office 25 July 1987 – 25 June 1988 | |
| Preceded by | N. D. Tiwari |
| Succeeded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| In office 31 October 1984 – 25 September 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Indira Gandhi |
| Succeeded by | Bali Ram Bhagat |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 24 January 1987 – 25 July 1987 | |
| Preceded by | V. P. Singh |
| Succeeded by | N. D. Tiwari |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 25 September 1985 – 24 January 1987 | |
| Preceded by | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| Succeeded by | V. P. Singh |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raiv Ratna 20 August 1944 Bombay, Bombay Presidency,British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra,India) |
| Died | 21 May 1991 (aged 46) Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Political party | Indian National Congress |
| Spouse(s) | Sonia Gandhi |
| Children | Rahul Priyanka |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge Imperial College, London |
| Religion | Hinduism |
Rajiv Gandhi (
i/ˈrɑːdʒiːv ˈɡɑːndiː/; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was the sixth Prime Minister of India (1984–1989). He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.
i/ˈrɑːdʒiːv ˈɡɑːndiː/; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was the sixth Prime Minister of India (1984–1989). He took office after his mother's assassination on 31 October 1984; he himself was assassinated on 21 May 1991. He became the youngest Prime Minister of India when he took office at the age of 40.
Rajiv Gandhi was the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. He went to study at Trinity College, Cambridge, and later at Imperial College London, but did not complete a degree at either. At Cambridge he met the Italian-born Antonia Albina Maino, who was also studying in the university, whom he later married. After dropping out of university, he became a professional pilot for Indian Airlines. He remained aloof from politics, despite his family's political prominence. Following the death of his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi in 1980 Rajiv entered politics. Following the assassination of his mother in 1984 after Operation Blue Star, the Indian National Congress party leaders nominated him to be Prime Minister.
Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to a major election victory in 1984 soon after, amassing the largest majority ever seen in the Indian Parliament, the Congress party winning 411 seats out of 542. He began dismantling the License Raj – government quotas, tariffs and permit regulations on economic activity – modernised the telecommunications industry, the education system, expanded science and technology initiatives and improved relations with the United States.[1]
In 1988, Gandhi reversed the coup in Maldives antagonising the militant Tamil outfits such as PLOTE.[2] He was also responsible for first intervening and then sending Indian troops (Indian Peace Keeping Force or IPKF) for peace efforts in Sri Lanka in 1987, which soon ended in open conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[3] In mid-1987, the Bofors scandal broke his honest, corruption-free image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections.
Rajiv Gandhi remained Congress President until the elections in 1991. While campaigning, he was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. His widow Sonia Gandhi became the leader of the Congress party in 1998, and led the party to victory in the 2004 elections. His son Rahul Gandhi is a Member of Parliament and the Vice President of the Indian National Congress.[4]
Rajiv Gandhi was posthumously awarded the Highest National Award of India, Bharat Ratna (1991), joining a list of 40 luminaries, including Indira Gandhi.[5]
Rajiv Gandhi was an active amateur radio operator, and used the callsign VU2RG.[6] He also founded INTACH in 1984 that seeks to preserve India's art and cultural heritage.
Early life and career [edit]
Rajiv Gandhi was born into India's most famous political family. His grandfather was the Indian independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru, who was India's first Prime Minister after independence. Rajiv Gandhi was not related to Mahatma Gandhi, although they share the same surname. His father, Feroze, was one of the younger members of the Indian National Congress party, and had befriended the young Indira, and also her mother Kamala Nehru, while working on party affairs at Allahabad. Subsequently, Indira and Feroze grew closer to each other while in England, and they married, despite initial objections from Jawaharlal due to his religion (Zoroastrianism).[7]
Rajiv was born in 1944 in Mumbai, during a time when both his parents were in and out of British prisons. In August 1947, Jawaharlal Nehru became the prime minister of independent India, and the family settled in Allahabad, and then at Lucknow, where Feroze became the editor of the National Herald newspaper (founded by Motilal Nehru). The marriage was faltering and, in 1949, Indira and the two sons moved to Delhi to live with Jawaharlal, ostensibly so that Indira could assist her father in his duties, acting as official hostess, and helping run the huge residence. Meanwhile, Feroze continued alone in Lucknow. In 1952, Indira helped Feroze manage his campaign for elections to the first Parliament of India from Rae Bareli.
After becoming an MP, Feroze Gandhi also moved to Delhi, but "Indira continued to stay with her father, thus putting the final seal on the separation."[8]Relations were strained further when Feroze challenged corruption within the Congress leadership over the Haridas Mundhra scandal. Jawaharlal suggested that the matter be resolved in private, but Feroze insisted on taking the case directly to parliament:
- "The Parliament must exercise vigilance and control over the biggest and most powerful financial institution it has created, the Life Insurance Corporation of India, whose misapplication of public funds we shall scrutinise today." Feroze Gandhi, Speech in Parliament, 16 December 1957.[9]The scandal, and its investigation by justice M C Chagla, lead to the resignation of one of Nehru's key allies, finance minister T.T. Krishnamachari, further alienating Feroze from Jawaharlal.
After Feroze Gandhi had a heart attack in 1958, the family was reconciled briefly when they holidayed in Kashmir. Feroze died soon afterwards from a second heart attack in 1960.
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