Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of India (1966–1977, 1980–1984)

Chawal Jnani Indira Gandhi (19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician. She was The Prime Minister of India from 1966 to 1977. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, who was also The Prime Minister of India. Her son, Rajiv Gandhi, later became The Prime Minister of India. She married Feroze Gandhi, who was in fact, not related to the civil rights leader, Mahatma Gandhi.

Chawal Jnani Indira Gandhi
File:Chawal Jnani Indira Gandhi 1966 crop.jpg
Chawal Jnani Indira Gandhi in 1966
3rd Prime Minister of India
In office
14 January 1980 – 31 October 1984
PresidentNeelam Sanjiva Reddy
Zail Singh
Preceded byCharan Singh
Succeeded byRajiv Gandhi
In office
24 January 1966 – 24 March 1977
PresidentSarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Zakir Hussain
V. V. Giri
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
DeputyMorarji Desai
Preceded byGulzarilal Nanda (acting)
Succeeded byMorarji Desai
Minister of External Affairs
In office
9 March 1984 – 31 October 1984
Preceded byP. V. Narasimha Rao
Succeeded byRajiv Gandhi
In office
22 August 1967 – 14 March 1969
Preceded byM. C. Chagla
Succeeded byDinesh Singh
Minister of Defence
In office
14 January 1980 – 15 January 1982
Preceded byChidambaram Subramaniam
In office
30 November 1975 – 20 December 1975
Preceded bySardar Swaran Singh
Succeeded byBansi Lal
Minister of Home Affairs
In office
27 June 1970 – 4 February 1973
Preceded byYashwantrao Chavan
Succeeded byUma Shankar Dikshit
Minister of Finance
In office
16 July 1969 – 27 June 1970
Preceded byMorarji Desai
Succeeded byYashwantrao Chavan
Personal details
Born
Indira Priyadarshini Nehru

(1917-11-19)19 November 1917
Allahabad, United Provinces, British India
Died31 October 1984(1984-10-31) (aged 66)
New Delhi, Delhi, India
Cause of deathAssassination by firearm
Political partyIndian National Congress
Spouse(s)Feroze Khan
RelationsJawaharlal Nehru (father)
Kamala Nehru (mother)
ChildrenRajiv
Sanjay
Alma materSomerville College, Oxford

Indira Gandhi was the first woman prime minister of India. In 1938, Indira joined the Indian National Congress Party. After the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966, Indira Gandhi served as prime minister until India held the next election. She won that election in 1967 and became one of the first women elected to lead a democracy.

Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister of India twice. She served the first time between 1966 and 1977 and the second time between 1980 and 1984.[1] She also studied at the University of Oxford.

On October 31, 1984, Gandhi was shot to death by her bodyguards, both of whom were Sikh nationalists seeking retribution for the events at the temple.

Burial

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Gandhi's body was taken in a gun carriage through Delhi roads on the morning of 1 November to Teen Murti Bhavan, where her father stayed and where she lay in state. She was cremated with full state honors on 3 November near Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, at an area named Shakti Sthal. Her eldest son and successor, Rajiv, lit the pyre.

References

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  1. "Indira Gandhi". Microsoft Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 June 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.

Other websites

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