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'{{short description|First Lady Prime Minister of India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Indira Gandhi | image = Indira-Gandhi-ili-50-img-2.jpg | honorific-suffix = <!-- Bharat Ratna cannot be used as a suffix --> | party = [[Indian National Congress]] <!-- --> | office = 3rd [[Prime Minister of India]] | term_start = 14 February 1980 | term_end = 31 October 1984 | predecessor = [[Charan Singh]] | president = [[N. Sanjiva Reddy]] <br /> [[Zail Singh]] | successor = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] <!-- --> | deputy1 = [[Morarji Desai]] | term_start1 = 24 January 1966 | term_end1 = 24 March 1977 | predecessor1 = [[Gulzarilal Nanda]] {{small|(Acting)}} | president1 = [[Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan]] <br /> [[Zakir Husain (politician)|Zakir Husain]] <br /> [[V. V. Giri]] <br /> [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] | successor1 = [[Morarji Desai]] <!-- --> | office2 = [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]] | term_start2 = 9 March 1984 | term_end2 = 31 October 1984 | predecessor2 = [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]] | successor2 = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] <!-- --> | term_start3 = 22 August 1967 | term_end3 = 14 March 1969 | predecessor3 = [[M. C. Chagla]] | successor3 = [[Dinesh Singh (Uttar Pradesh politician)|Dinesh Singh]] <!-- --> | office4 = [[Minister of Defence (India)|Minister of Defence]] | term_start4 = 14 January 1980 | term_end4 = 15 January 1982 | predecessor4 = [[Chidambaram Subramaniam]] | successor4 = [[R. Venkataraman]] <!-- --> | term_start5 = 30 November 1975 | term_end5 = 20 December 1975 | predecessor5 = [[Swaran Singh]] | successor5 = [[Bansi Lal]] <!-- --> | office6 = [[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Minister of Home Affairs]] | term_start6 = 27 June 1970 | term_end6 = 4 February 1973 | predecessor6 = [[Yashwantrao Chavan]] | successor6 = [[Uma Shankar Dikshit]] <!-- --> | office7 = [[Minister of Finance (India)|Minister of Finance]] | term_start7 = 17 July 1969 | term_end7 = 27 June 1970 | predecessor7 = [[Morarji Desai]] | successor7 = [[Yashwantrao Chavan]] <!-- --> | office8 = [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Minister of Information and Broadcasting]] | primeminister8 = [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]] | term_start8 = 9 June 1964 | term_end8 = 24 January 1966 | predecessor8 = [[Satya Narayan Sinha]] | successor8 = [[Kodardas Kalidas Shah]] <!-- --> | signature = Indira-Gandhi-Signature-Transparent.png | birth_name = Indira Priyadarshini Nehru | birth_date = {{birth date|1917|11|19|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Allahabad]], [[United Provinces of Agra and Oudh]], [[British Raj|British India]] <br /> (present-day [[Prayagraj]], Uttar Pradesh, [[India]]) | death_date = {{death date and age|1984|10|31|1917|11|19|df=y}} | death_place = [[New Delhi]], [[India]] | resting_place = [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Shakti Sthal]] | spouse = {{marriage|[[Feroze Gandhi]] <br /> |26 March 1942|8 September 1960|reason=died}} <ref>{{cite web |title=Indira Nehru - Feroze Gandhi Wedding (in page 4 bottom/right) |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19420327&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |publisher=Indian Express(dated March 27, 1942) |accessdate=19 August 2019}}</ref> | relations = ''See [[Nehru–Gandhi family]]'' | children = [[Rajiv Gandhi]] <br /> [[Sanjay Gandhi]] | parents = [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] {{small|(Father)}} <br /> [[Kamala Nehru]] {{small|(Mother)}} | alma_mater = [[Visva-Bharati University]] <br /> [[Somerville College, Oxford]] | occupation = [[Politician]] | awards = [[Bharat Ratna]] (1971) [[Bangladesh Freedom Honour]](2011) | death_cause = [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|Assassination]] }} '''Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi''' ({{IPA-hi|ˈɪndɪraː ˈɡaːndʱiː|lang|Hi-IndiraGandhi.ogg}}; [[Given name|née]] '''Nehru'''; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician, stateswoman and a central figure of the [[Indian National Congress]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/bloody-mary/19th-november-2017-100-years-of-indira-gandhi-she-was-the-mother-of-every-indian-supremo/ |title=19th November 2017: 100 years of Indira Gandhi. She was the mother of every Indian supremo|date=18 November 2017|newspaper=The Times of India|first=Sagarika|last=Ghose|accessdate=6 January 2019}}</ref> She was the first and, to date, the only female [[Prime Minister of India]]. Indira Gandhi was the daughter of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], the first prime minister of India. She served as Prime Minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|her assassination]] in October 1984, making her the second [[List of Prime Ministers of India by longevity|longest-serving Indian Prime Minister]], after her father.<ref name="tandon">{{cite magazine |last1=Tandon |first1=P.D. |title=The truth about Indira |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/the-truth-about-indira/211665 |accessdate=1 June 2018 |magazine=Outlook India |date=21 May 2001}}</ref> Gandhi served as her father's personal assistant and hostess during his tenure as Prime Minister between 1947 and 1964. She was elected [[President of the Indian National Congress]] in 1959. Upon her father's death in 1964 she was appointed as a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] (upper house) and became a member of [[Lal Bahadur Shastri ministry|Lal Bahadur Shastri's cabinet]] as [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Minister of Information and Broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biography.com/people/indira-gandhi-9305913|title=Indira Gandhi|website=Biography.com|language=en-us|access-date=21 July 2017}}</ref> In the Congress Party's parliamentary leadership election held in early 1966 (upon the death of [[Lal Bahadur Shastri|Shastri]]), she defeated her rival [[Morarji Desai]] to become leader, and thus succeeded Shastri as Prime Minister of India. As Prime Minister, Gandhi was known for her political intransigency and unprecedented [[Centralized government|centralisation of power]]. She went to [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|war with Pakistan]] in support of the [[Six point movement|independence movement]] and [[Bangladesh Liberation War|war of independence]] in [[East Pakistan]], which resulted in an Indian victory and the creation of [[Bangladesh]], as well as increasing India's influence to the point where it became the regional [[Hegemony|hegemon]] of [[South Asia]]. Citing separatist tendencies and in response to a call for revolution, Gandhi instituted a [[The Emergency (India)|state of emergency]] from 1975 to 1977 where basic civil liberties were suspended and the press was censored. Widespread atrocities were carried out during the emergency. In 1980, she [[1980 Indian general election|returned to power]] after free and fair elections. After Gandhi ordered military action in the [[Golden Temple]] in [[Operation Blue Star]], she was assassinated by her own bodyguards and Sikh nationalists on 31 October 1984. In 1999, Indira Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll organised by the [[BBC]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/543743.stm|title=BBC Indira Gandhi 'greatest woman'|work=BBC News|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> ==Early life and career== Gandhi was born as Indira Priyadarshini Nehru in a [[Kashmiri Pandit]] family on 19 November 1917 in [[Allahabad]].{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=13}}<ref name="Indira Priyadarshini">{{cite book|author=Pupul Jayakar|title=Indira Gandhi: A Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gm5JGkb2rhkC&pg=PR9|date=27 November 1992|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-011462-1|page=10}}</ref> Her father, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], was a leading figure in India's political [[Indian independence movement|struggle for independence]] from [[British Raj|British rule]], and became the first Prime Minister of the [[Dominion of India|Dominion]] (and later [[India|Republic]]) of India.{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=3}} She was the only child (a younger brother was born, but died young),{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=31}} and grew up with her mother, [[Kamala Nehru]], at the [[Anand Bhavan]]; a large family estate in Allahabad.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=16}} She had a lonely and unhappy childhood.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=25}} Her father was often away, directing political activities or incarcerated, while her mother was frequently bed-ridden with illness, and later suffered an early death from tuberculosis.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=32}} She had limited contact with her father, mostly through letters.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=55}} [[File:Gandhi and Indira 1924.jpg|thumb|left|Young Indira with [[Mahatma Gandhi]] during his [[fasting|fast]] in 1924. Indira, who is dressed in a [[khadi]] garment, is following Gandhi's advocacy that khadi be worn by all Indians instead of British-made textiles]] Indira was mostly taught at home by tutors, and intermittently attended school until matriculation in 1934. She was a student at the [[Modern School (New Delhi)|Modern School]] in [[Delhi]], St Cecilia's and St Mary's Christian convent schools in Allahabad,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India : a political biography of Indira Gandhi / Pranay Gupte.|date=2011|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143068266|pages=151–152|edition=Rev.|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PA151|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=16 August 2016}}</ref> the [[International School of Geneva]], the Ecole Nouvelle in [[Bex]], and the Pupils' Own School in [[Pune|Poona]] and [[Mumbai|Bombay]], which is affiliated to [[University of Mumbai]]. {{sfn|Frank|2010|pp=29,75,83}} She and her mother [[Kamala Nehru]] moved to [[Belur Math]] headquarters of [[Ramakrishna Mission]] where [[Swami Ranganathananda]] was her guardian{{sfn|Indira Gandhi: Daughter of India|2002|pp=42,43,45}} later she went on to study at the Vishwa Bharati in [[Santiniketan]], which later in 1951 became [[Visva-Bharati University]]. It was during her interview that [[Rabindranath Tagore]] named her ''[[:wikt:प्रियदर्शिन्|Priyadarshini]]'', literally "looking at everything with kindness" in [[Sanskrit]], and she came to be known as Indira Priyadarshini Nehru.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=90}} A year later, however, she had to leave university to attend to her ailing mother in [[Europe]].{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=170}} While there, it was decided that Indira would continue her education at the [[University of Oxford]].{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=181}} After her mother died, she briefly attended the [[Badminton School]] before enrolling at [[Somerville College, Oxford|Somerville College]] in 1937 to study history.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=116}} Indira had to take the entrance examination twice, having failed at her first attempt with a poor performance in Latin.{{sfn|Frank|2010|p=116}} At Oxford, she did well in history, political science and economics, but her grades in Latin—a compulsory subject—remained poor.{{sfn|Somervill|2007|p=36}}{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=184}} She did, however, have an active part within the student life of the university, such as the Oxford Majlis Asian Society.<ref>http://oxfordmajlis.wix.com/majlis</ref> On 26 September 1981, Indira was conferred with the Honorory Degree of Doctor at the Laucala Graduation at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} [[File:Young Indira Gandhi.jpg|thumb|upright|Indira Nehru c. early 1930s]] During her time in Europe, Indira was plagued with ill-health and was constantly attended to by doctors. She had to make repeated trips to Switzerland to recover, disrupting her studies. She was being treated there in 1940, when the German armies rapidly conquered Europe. Gandhi tried to return to England through Portugal but was left stranded for nearly two months. She managed to enter England in early 1941, and from there returned to India without completing her studies at Oxford. The university later awarded her an honorary degree. In 2010, Oxford further honoured her by selecting her as one of the ten Oxasians, illustrious Asian graduates from the [[University of Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/100422_1.html |title=Exhibit celebrates 120 years of South Asians at Oxford |publisher=University of Oxford |date=22 April 2010 |accessdate=24 December 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102074542/http://www.ox.ac.uk/media/news_releases_for_journalists/100422_1.html |archivedate=2 January 2013 }}</ref> During her stay in Great Britain, Indira frequently met her future husband [[Feroze Gandhi]] (no relation to [[Mahatma Gandhi]]), whom she knew from Allahabad, and who was studying at the [[London School of Economics]]. The marriage took place in Allahabad according to [[Adi Dharm]] rituals though Feroze belonged to a [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] [[Parsi]] family of Gujarat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/oldStory/82389/|title=Sonia assures help for father-in-law's grave|last=|first=|date=|website=archive.indianexpress.com|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref> The couple had two sons, [[Rajiv Gandhi]] (born 1944) and [[Sanjay Gandhi]] (born 1946).{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} In the 1950s, Indira, now Mrs Indira Gandhi after her marriage, served her father unofficially as a personal assistant during his tenure as the first [[Prime Minister of India]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Steinberg|first1=Blema S.|title=Women in power : the personalities and leadership styles of Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, and Margaret Thatcher|date=2008|publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press|location=Montreal|isbn=978-0-7735-3356-1|page=20|url={{Google books|EZIBxpeRXxsC|page=PR7|keywords=indira%20nehru%20hostess|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=2 December 2015}}</ref> Towards the end of the 1950s, Indira Gandhi served as the President of the [[Indian National Congress|Congress]]. In that capacity, she was instrumental in getting the Communist led [[Government of Kerala|Kerala]] State Government dismissed in 1959. That government had the distinction of being India's first ever elected [[Communism|Communist]] Government.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Upadhyaya|first1=Prakash Chandra|title=Review of Marxist State Governments in India, Politics, Economics and Society by T. J. Nossiter|journal=Social Scientist|date=1989|volume=17|issue=1/2 January – February 1989|pages=84–91|doi=10.2307/3520112|jstor=3520112}}</ref> After her father's death in 1964 she was appointed as a member of the [[Rajya Sabha]] (upper house) and served in Prime Minister [[Lal Bahadur Shastri]]'s cabinet as [[Minister of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Minister of Information and Broadcasting]].<ref>Gandhi, Indira. (1982) ''My Truth''</ref> In January 1966, after Shastri's death, the Congress legislative party elected Indira Gandhi over [[Morarji Desai]] as their leader. Congress party veteran [[K. Kamaraj]] was instrumental in achieving Indira's victory.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kochanek|first1=Stanley A.|title=Post Nehru India: The Emergence of the New Leadership|journal=Asian Survey|date=May 1966|volume=6|issue=5|page=298|doi=10.2307/2642538|jstor=2642538}}</ref> Because she was a woman, other political leaders in India saw Gandhi as weak and hoped to use her as a puppet once elected: <blockquote>Congress President Kamaraj orchestrated Mrs. Gandhi's selection as prime minister because he perceived her to be weak enough that he and the other regional party bosses could control her, and yet strong enough to beat Desai [her political opponent] in a party election because of the high regard for her father...a woman would be an ideal tool for the Syndicate.<ref>Genovese, Michael A., ed. Women As National Leaders. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. Print. 110.</ref></blockquote> ==First term as Prime Minister between 1966 and 1977== The first eleven years of Indira's position as prime minister saw her evolving from the perception of Congress party leaders as their puppet to a strong leader with the iron resolve to split the party for her policy positions or to go to war with Pakistan to liberate Bangladesh. At the end of this term in 1977, she was such a dominating figure in Indian politics that Congress party president [[D. K. Barooah]] had coined the phrase "India is Indira and Indira is India."<ref>Ghosh, P.S., 1999. Whither Indian Polity?. Economic and Political Weekly, pp.3340-3342.</ref> ===First year=== Indira formed her government with Morarji Desai as deputy prime minister and finance minister. At the beginning of her first term as prime minister, Indira was widely criticized by the media and the opposition as a "Goongi goodiya" (Hindi word for a dumb doll or puppet) of the Congress party bosses who had got her elected and tried to constrain her.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Derichs|first1=Claudia (editor)|last2=Thompson|first2=Mark R.|title=Dynasties and female political leaders in Asia : gender, power and pedigree|date=2013|publisher=s.n.|location=S.l.|isbn=978-3-643-90320-4|pages=32, 50|url={{Google books|UKBcLhCxSvQC|page=PA27|keywords=%22goongi%20gudiya%22%20indira|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Shankar|first1=Kalyani|title=Pandora's daughters|date=2013|publisher=Bloomsbury Pub. India|location=London|isbn=9789382951049|url={{Google books|_knCBwAAQBAJ|page=PT8|keywords=goongi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> ===1967–1971=== [[File:John_Gorton_and_Indira_Gandhi.jpg|thumb|left|Indira Gandhi with Australian [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[John Gorton]] in 1968]] The first electoral test for Indira was the [[1967 Indian general election|1967 general elections]] for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Congress Party won a reduced majority for the Lok Sabha in these elections owing to widespread disenchantment over rising prices of commodities, unemployment, economic stagnation and a food crisis. Gandhi herself was elected to Lok Sabha from the [[Raebareli (Lok Sabha constituency)|Raebareli constituency]]. Indira Gandhi had started on a rocky note after agreeing to a [[devaluation]] of the [[Indian rupee|rupee]], which created much hardship for Indian businesses and consumers, and the import of wheat from the United States fell through due to political disputes.<ref name="Kapila1"/> The party also for the first time lost power or lost majority in a number of states across the country. Following the 1967 elections, Indira Gandhi gradually started moving towards socialist policies. In 1969, she fell out with senior Congress party leaders on a number of issues. Chief among them was the decision by Indira to support [[V. V. Giri]], the independent candidate rather than the official Congress party candidate [[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]] for the vacant position of [[President of India]]. The other was the announcement by the prime minister of Bank nationalization without consulting the finance minister, Morarji Desai. These steps culminated in Party president [[S. Nijalingappa]] expelling her from the party for indiscipline.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/et-commentary/march-to-socialism-under-prime-minister-indira-gandhi-offers-an-interesting-parallel/articleshow/9715049.cms|title=March to socialism under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi offers an interesting parallel|date=24 August 2011|work=The Economic Times|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/1969-congress-splits/1/155566.html|title=1969: S. Nijalingappa expelled Indira Gandhi from the party|access-date=19 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Mahendra Prasad|title=Split in a Predominant Party: The Indian National Congress in 1969|date=1981|publisher=Sakti Malik, Abhinav Prakashan|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-8170171409|url={{Google books|UOQRWuMXyRMC|page=PR5|keywords=indian%20national%20|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> Gandhi, in turn floated her own faction of the Congress party and managed to retain most of the Congress MPs on her side with only 65 on the side of [[Indian National Congress (Organisation)|Congress (O)]] faction. The Indira faction, called [[Indian National Congress (R)|Congress (R)]], lost its majority in the parliament but remained in power with the support of regional parties such as [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]].<ref name="Rosser">{{Cite book | publisher = MIT Press | pages = 468–470 | url={{Google books|y3Mr6TgalqMC|page=PA470|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0262182348 | last = Rosser | first = J. Barkley | last2 = Rosser | first2 = Marina V. | title = Comparative Economics in Transforming the World Economy | year = 2004 }}</ref> The policies of the Congress under Indira Gandhi, prior to the 1971 elections, also included proposals for the abolition of [[Privy Purse in India|Privy Purse]] to former rulers of the [[Princely state]]s and the 1969 nationalization of the fourteen largest banks in India.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ===1971–1977=== [[Garibi Hatao]] (Eradicate Poverty) was the theme for Gandhi's 1971 political bid. On the other hand, the combined opposition alliance had a two word manifesto of "Indira Hatao" (Remove Indira).<ref name="1971.iz iz result">{{cite web|title=General Elections, India, 1971: Statistical report |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/statisticalreports/LS_1971/Vol_I_LS71.pdf |website=eci.nic.in |publisher=Commission of India |accessdate=25 June 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718175452/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1971/Vol_I_LS71.pdf |archivedate=18 July 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Masani,|first1=Zareer|title=The Indira Wave|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/article2950165.ece|accessdate=8 January 2015|issue=3 March 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=2012}}</ref> The Garibi Hatao slogan and the proposed [[poverty reduction|anti-poverty programs]] that came with it were designed to give Gandhi an independent national support, based on rural and urban poor. This would allow her to bypass the dominant rural castes both in and of state and local governments; likewise the urban commercial class. And, for their part, the previously voiceless poor would at last gain both political worth and political weight{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=March 2017}}. The programs created through [[Garibi Hatao]], though carried out locally, were funded and developed by the Central Government in New Delhi. The program was supervised and staffed by the [[Indian National Congress]] party. "These programs also provided the central political leadership with new and vast patronage resources to be disbursed... throughout the country.",<ref>{{cite journal|author=Rath, Nilakantha|title='Garibi Hatao': Can IRDP Do It?|year=1985|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=20|issue=6 |pages=238–246|jstor=4374060}}</ref> The biggest achievement of Indira Gandhi after the 1971 election came in December 1971 with India's decisive victory over [[Pakistan]] in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Indo-Pakistani War]] that occurred in the last two weeks of the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] which led to the formation of independent [[Bangladesh]]. She was hailed as Goddess [[Durga]] by opposition leader [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] at that time.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hellmann-Rajanayagam|first1=D|title=Dynasties and Female Political Leaders in Asia: Gender, Power and Pedigree|date=2013|publisher=LIT Verlag GMBH|location=Vienna, Zurich|isbn=978-3-643-90320-4|page=27|url={{Google books|UKBcLhCxSvQC|page=PA27|keywords=indira%20durga%20vajpayee%20bangladesh|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Puri|first1=Balraj|title=Indian Muslims since Partition|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|date=1993|volume=28|issue=40|page=2144|jstor=4400229}}</ref><ref>Sanghavi, Nagindas. "From Navnirman to the anti-Mandal riots: the political trajectory of Gujarat (1974–1985)." South Asian History and Culture 1.4 (2010): 480–493.</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Copeman|first1=Jacob (Editor)|last2=Ikegame|first2=Aya (Editor)|last3=Jaffrelot|first3=, Christophe|title=The Guru in South Asia: New Interdisciplinary Perspectives Chapter 4 The political guru.|date=2012|publisher=Routledge|location=London, New York|isbn=978-0-415-51019-6|page=85|url={{Google books|q_byVNXT1aEC|page=PA80|keywords=vajpayee|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=30 November 2015}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|[[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]] though categorically denied ever having said that when he made an appearance in [[Rajat Sharma]]'s show ''Aap ki Adalat''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofxZKeH8BGM |title=Did Atal bihari Vajpayee call Indira Gandhi 'Durga' ? |last=Jain |first=Atishay |publisher=You Tube |date=26 September 2015 |website=You Tube |access-date=23 March 2016}}</ref> |group=note}} In the elections held for State assemblies across India in March 1972, the Congress (R) swept to power in most states riding on the post-war "Indira wave".<ref name="jstor.org">{{cite journal|last1=Rudolph|first1=Lloyd|last2=Rudolph|first2=Susanne|title=India's Election: Backing into the future|journal=Foreign Affairs|date=July 1977|volume=55|issue=4|pages=836–853|doi=10.2307/20039739|jstor=20039739}}</ref> Despite the victory against Pakistan, the Congress government faced numerous problems during this term. Some of these were due to high inflation which was in turn caused by war time expenses, drought in some parts of the country and more importantly, the [[1973 oil crisis]]. The opposition to Gandhi in 1973–75 period, after the Indira wave had receded, was strongest in the states of [[Bihar]] and [[Gujarat]]. In Bihar, [[Jayaprakash Narayan]], the veteran leader came out of retirement to lead the protest movement there.<ref name="jstor.org"/> ====Verdict on electoral malpractice==== [[File:Indira and Nixon.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Indira Gandhi with U.S. [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]], 1971]] On 12 June 1975, the [[Allahabad High Court]] declared Indira Gandhi's election to the [[Lok Sabha]] in 1971 void on grounds of electoral malpractice. In an election petition filed by her 1971 opponent, [[Raj Narain]] (who later on defeated her in 1977 parliamentary election from [[Raebareli (Lok Sabha constituency)|Raebareli]]), alleged several major as well as minor instances of using government resources for campaigning.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/12/newsid_2511000/2511691.stm|title=BBC ON THIS DAY {{!}} 12 {{!}} 1975: Gandhi found guilty of corruption|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=19 July 2017|date=12 June 1975}}</ref><ref>Priyadarshi, D., 1975. Case Study: Smt. Indira Nehru Gandhi vs. Shri Raj Narain and Anr. on 7 November 1975. Indira Nehru Gandhi vs. Shri Raj Narain and Anr. on, 7.</ref> Gandhi had asked one of her colleagues in government, [[Ashoke Kumar Sen]] to defend her in court.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Gandhi gave evidence in her defence during the trial. After almost four years, the court found her guilty of dishonest election practices, excessive election expenditure, and of using government machinery and officials for party purposes.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Chandra|first1=Bipan|title=In the name of democracy : JP movement and the emergency, Chapter 4, Emergency imposed|date=2003|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New Delhi|isbn=978-0143029670|url={{Google books|3K7dCQAAQBAJ|page=PT4|keywords=yashpal|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> The judge, however, rejected more serious charges of bribery against her.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} The court ordered her stripped of her parliamentary seat and banned from running for any office for six years. As the [[Constitution of India|constitution]] holds that the Prime Minister must be a [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|member]] of either the [[Lok Sabha]] or the [[Rajya Sabha]], the two houses of the [[Parliament of India]], this would have effectively removed her from office. However, Gandhi rejected calls to resign and announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court. Gandhi insisted that the conviction did not undermine her position, despite having been unseated from Lok Sabha. She said: "There is a lot of talk about our government not being clean, but from our experience the situation was very much worse when [opposition] parties were forming governments". And she dismissed criticism of the way her Congress Party raised election campaign money, saying all parties used the same methods. The prime minister retained the support of her party, which issued a statement backing her. After news of the verdict spread, hundreds of supporters demonstrated outside her house, pledging their loyalty. Indian High Commissioner BK Nehru said Gandhi's conviction would not harm her political career. "Mrs Gandhi has still today overwhelming support in the country," he said. "I believe the prime minister of India will continue in office until the electorate of India decides otherwise".{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ====State of Emergency (1975–1977)==== {{Main|The Emergency (India)}} Gandhi moved to restore order by ordering the arrest of most of the opposition participating in the unrest. Her Cabinet and government then recommended that President [[Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed]] declare a [[state of emergency]] because of the disorder and lawlessness following the Allahabad High Court decision. Accordingly, Ahmed declared a State of Emergency caused by internal disorder, based on the provisions of Article 352(1) of the Constitution, on 25 June 1975.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ====Rule by decree==== Within a few months, [[President's rule]] was imposed on the two opposition party ruled states of [[Gujarat]] and [[Tamil Nadu]] thereby bringing the entire country under direct Central rule or by governments led by the ruling Congress party.<ref>Kochanek, Stanely, ''Mrs. Gandhi's Pyramid: The New Congress'', (Westview Press, Boulder, CO 1976) p. 98</ref> Police were granted powers to impose curfews and indefinitely detain citizens and all publications were subjected to substantial censorship by the [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]]. Finally, the impending legislative assembly elections were indefinitely postponed, with all opposition-controlled state governments being removed by virtue of the constitutional provision allowing for a dismissal of a state government on recommendation of the state's governor.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Indira Gandhi used the emergency provisions to change conflicting party members: {{bq|1= Unlike her father Jawaharlal Nehru, who preferred to deal with strong chief ministers in control of their legislative parties and state party organizations, Mrs. Gandhi set out to remove every Congress chief minister who had an independent base and to replace each of them with ministers personally loyal to her...Even so, stability could not be maintained in the states...<ref>Brass, Paul R., ''The Politics of India Since Independence'', ([[Cambridge University Press]], England 1995) p. 40</ref>}} President Ahmed issued [[decree|ordinances]] that did not require debate in the [[Parliament of India|Parliament]], allowing Gandhi to [[rule by decree]].{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ====Rise of Sanjay==== The Emergency saw the entry of Gandhi's younger son, [[Sanjay Gandhi]], into Indian politics. Sanjay wielded tremendous power during the emergency without holding any Government office. According to [[Mark Tully]], "His inexperience did not stop him from using the Draconian powers his mother, Indira Gandhi, had taken to terrorise the administration, setting up what was in effect a police state."<ref>Mark Tully ''Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle'', p. 55, {{ISBN|81-291-0917-4}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} It was said that during the Emergency he virtually ran India along with his friends, especially [[Bansi Lal]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Subodh Ghildiyal|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-29/india/28661327_1_slum-clearance-sanjay-gandhi-sterilization|title=Cong blames Sanjay Gandhi for Emergency 'excesses'|newspaper=Times Of India|date=29 December 2010|accessdate=19 January 2013}}</ref> It was also quipped that Sanjay Gandhi had total control over his mother and that the government was run by the [[7, Lok Kalyan Marg|PMH (Prime Minister House)]] rather than the [[Prime Minister's Office (India)|PMO (Prime Minister Office)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/26022710/Mystery-Called-Sanjay-Gandhi |title=Mystery Called Sanjay Gandhi|publisher=Scribd|date=21 November 2007|accessdate=19 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Express News Service|title=Emergency 'propagandist' who banned Kishore Kumar songs|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/emergency-propagandist-who-banned-kishore-kumar-songs/1127804/|accessdate=17 January 2014|newspaper=Indian Express|date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref name="The Life of Indira Gandhi">{{cite journal|last=Dasgupta|first=Swapan|journal=Third World Quarterly|title=Sanjay Gandhi|date=July 1985|volume=7|issue=3|doi=10.1080/01436598508419863|pages=731–778}}<!--|accessdate=17 January 2014--></ref> ==1977 election and opposition years== In 1977, after extending the state of emergency twice, Indira Gandhi called [[1977 Indian general election|elections]] to give the electorate a chance to vindicate her rule. Gandhi may have grossly misjudged her popularity by reading what the heavily censored press wrote about her.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Derfler|first1=Leslie|title=The fall and rise of political leaders Olof Palme, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Indira Gandhi|date=2011|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=New York|isbn=9780230117242|pages=186–187|edition=1st|url={{Google books|7VjJAAAAQBAJ|page=PR2|keywords=sterilization|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=14 September 2017}}</ref> In any case, she was opposed by the [[Janata alliance]] of Opposition parties. The alliance was made up of [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh]], [[Indian National Congress (Organisation)|Congress (O)]], The Socialist parties, and [[Charan Singh]]'s [[Bharatiya Kranti Dal]] representing northern peasant and farmers. Janata alliance, with [[Jai Prakash Narayan]] as its spiritual guide, claimed the elections were the last chance for India to choose between "democracy and dictatorship." The Congress Party split during the election campaign of 1977: veteran Indira supporters like [[Jagjivan Ram]], [[Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna]] and [[Nandini Satpathy]] were compelled to part ways and form a new political entity, CFD ([[Congress for Democracy]]), primarily due to intra-party politicking and also due to circumstances created by Sanjay Gandhi. The prevailing rumour was that Sanjay had intentions of dislodging Gandhi and the trio stood between that. Gandhi's Congress party was crushed soundly in the elections. The public realized the statement and motto of the Janata Party alliance. Indira and [[Sanjay Gandhi]] both lost their seats, and Congress was cut down to 153 seats (compared with 350 in the previous Lok Sabha), 92 of which were in the South. The Janata alliance, under the leadership of [[Morarji Desai]], came into power after the State of Emergency was lifted. The alliance parties later merged to form the [[Janata Party]] under the guidance of Gandhian leader, [[Jayaprakash Narayan]]. The other leaders of the Janata Party were [[Charan Singh]], [[Raj Narain]], [[George Fernandes]] and [[Atal Bihari Vajpayee]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rudolph|first1=Lloyd I.| authorlink = Lloyd Rudolph|first2=Susanne|last2= Hoeber|authorlink2=Susanne Hoeber Rudolph|title=In pursuit of Lakshmi: The political economy of the Indian state|date=1989|publisher=Univ. of Chicago Pr.|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0226731391|pages=159–178|edition=[Nachdr.]|url={{Google books|amtV90ig9-8C|page=PR16|keywords=1977%20janata%20|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> ===In opposition and return to power=== [[File:1984 CPA 5588.jpg|thumb|upright|1984 [[USSR]] commemorative stamp]] Since Gandhi had lost her seat in the election, the defeated Congress party appointed [[Yashwantrao Chavan]] as their parliamentary party leader. Soon afterwards, the Congress party split again with Gandhi floating her own Congress faction. She won a by-election from the [[Chikmagalur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Chikmagalur Constituency]] to the [[Lok Sabha]] in November 1978 <ref>{{cite news|last1=Maramkal|first1=M-B|title=Chikmagalur remembers Indira Gandhi|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/Chikmagalur-remembers-Indira-Gandhi/articleshow/26064352.cms|issue=20 November|newspaper=Times of India|date=2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mrs. Gandhi is Jeered|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19781121&id=nEpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=De4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4709,2645853|website=The Spokesman-Review|accessdate=9 April 2017|date=21 November 1978}}</ref> after Janata Party's attempts to have Kannada matinee idol [[Rajkumar (actor)|Rajkumar]] to contest against her failed when he refused to contest elections saying he wanted to remain apolitical.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/how-fernandes-ran-a-high-voltage-campaign-for-chikkamagaluru-bypoll/articleshow/67745513.cms | title=How Fernandes ran a high-voltage campaign for Chikkamagaluru bypoll - Times of India}}</ref> However, the Janata government's Home Minister, Choudhary [[Charan Singh]], ordered the arrest of her and Sanjay Gandhi on several charges, none of which would be easy to prove in an Indian court. The arrest meant that Indira Gandhi was automatically expelled from Parliament. These allegations included that she "had planned or thought of killing all opposition leaders in jail during the Emergency".<ref>[[Malhotra, Inder]]. ''Indira Gandhi''. New York: Coronet Books, 1991.</ref> In response to her arrest, Indira Gandhi's [[Bholanath and Devendra Pandey|supporters hijacked]] an Indian Airlines jet and demanded her immediate release.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tale-of-two-hijackers-One-is-Congress-candidate-other-most-wanted/articleshow/33156540.cms | title=Tale of two hijackers: One is Congress candidate, other most wanted - Times of India}}</ref> However, this strategy backfired disastrously. Her arrest and long-running trial gained her great sympathy from many people. The Janata coalition was only united by its hatred of Gandhi (or "that woman" as some called her). The party included right wing Hindu Nationalists, Socialists and former Congress party members. With so little in common, the Morarji Desai government was bogged down by infighting. In 1979, the government started to unravel over the issue of dual loyalties of some members to Janata and the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh|RSS]]. The ambitious Union Finance minister, [[Charan Singh]], who as the Union Home Minister during the previous year had ordered arrest of Gandhi, took advantage of this and started courting the Congress. After a significant exodus from the party to Charan Singh's faction, Desai resigned in July 1979. Charan Singh was appointed Prime Minister, by President Reddy, after Indira and Sanjay Gandhi promised Singh that Congress would support his government from outside on certain conditions.<ref name="Supporting Charan Singh">{{cite book|last1=de Mesquita|first1=Bruce Bueno|title=The Predictioneer's Game: Using the Logic of Brazen Self-Interest to See and shapte the future|publisher=Random House|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8129-7977-0|page=xxiii|url={{Google books|8BafGvdAYYEC|page=PA10|keywords=%22charan%20singh%22|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2010}}</ref><ref name="Charan Singh">{{cite book|last1=Sanghvi|first1=Vijay|title=The Congress, Indira to Sonia Gandhi By|date=2006|publisher=Kalpaz|location=Delhi|isbn=978-81-7835-340-1|pages=114–122|url={{Google books|npdqD_TXucQC|page=PA7|keywords=charan|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> The conditions included dropping all charges against Indira and Sanjay. Since Charan Singh refused to drop the charges, Congress withdrew its support and President Reddy dissolved Parliament in August 1979. Before the [[1980 Indian general election|1980 elections]] Gandhi approached the then [[Shahi Imam]] of [[Jama Masjid, Delhi|Jama Masjid]], [[Syed Abdullah Bukhari]] and entered into an agreement with him on the basis of 10-point programme to secure the support of the Muslim votes.<ref name="AgnihotriRay2002">{{cite book|author1=S. K. Agnihotri|author2=B. Datta Ray|title=Perspective Of Security And Development In North East India|url={{Google books|OKRiQaHWKJcC|page=PA106|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=28 June 2013|year=2002|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|isbn=978-81-8069-165-2|pages=106–}}</ref> In the elections held in January, Congress returned to power with a landslide majority.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ==1980 elections and third term== The Congress under Gandhi swept back to power in January 1980.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/indira-gandhi-becomes-indian-prime-minister|title=Indira Gandhi becomes Indian prime minister - Jan 19, 1966 - HISTORY.com|work=HISTORY.com|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> In this election, Gandhi was elected from the [[Medak (Lok Sabha constituency)|Medak constituency]]. Elections soon after to legislative assemblies in States ruled by opposition parties brought back Congress ministries to those states. Indira's son, [[Sanjay Gandhi]] selected his own loyalists to head the governments in these states.<ref name="Sanghvi2006">{{cite book|author=Vijay Sanghvi|title=The Congress, Indira to Sonia Gandhi|url={{Google books|npdqD_TXucQC|page=PA7|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|year=2006|publisher=Gyan Publishing House|isbn=978-81-7835-340-1|page=130}}</ref> On 23 June, Gandhi's son Sanjay was killed in an air crash while performing an [[Aerobatic maneuver|aerobatic manoeuvre]] in New Delhi.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/06/23/sanjay-gandhi-killed-in-plane-crash/76d13092-8233-483a-b8e4-54f29dfbd2e6/|title=Sanjay Gandhi Killed in Plane Crash|last=Auerbach|first=Stuart|date=23 June 1980|work=The Washington Post|access-date=19 July 2017|last2=|first2=|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 1980, as tribute to her son's dream of launching an indigenously manufactured car, Gandhi nationalized Sanjay's debt ridden company called [[Maruti Suzuki|Maruti Udyog]] for Rs. 4.34 crore and invited joint venture bids from automobile companies around the world. [[Suzuki]] of Japan was selected as the partner. The company launched its first Indian manufactured car in 1984.<ref name="orfonline69">{{cite book |last1=Chikermane |first1=Gautam |title=70 POLICIES THAT SHAPED INDIA 1947 to 2017, Independence to $2.5 Trillion |date=2018 |publisher=Observer Research Foundation |isbn=978-81-937564-8-5 |pages=69–70 |url=https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/70_Policies.pdf}}</ref> Gandhi, by the time of Sanjay's death, trusted only family members, and therefore persuaded her reluctant son, Rajiv, to enter politics.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Her staff at the [[Prime Minister's Office (India)|Prime Ministers Office (PMO)]] included [[Sharada Prasad|H.Y.Sharada Prasad]] as her information adviser and speech writer.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baru |first1=Sanjay |title=The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh |date=11 April 2014 |publisher=Penguin India }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Prasad |first1=Sharada |title=The Book I Won't Be Writing and Other Essays |date=1 January 2003 |publisher=Chronicle books }}</ref> === Operation Blue Star === {{Main|Operation Blue Star}} In the 1977 elections, a coalition led by the [[Sikh]]-majority [[Shiromani Akali Dal|Akali Dal]] came to power in the northern Indian state of Punjab. In an effort to split the Akali Dal and gain popular support among the Sikhs, Indira Gandhi's Congress helped bring the orthodox religious leader [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]] to prominence in Punjab politics.<ref name="Gus2011">{{cite book|author=Gus Martin|title=The SAGE Encyclopedia of Terrorism, Second Edition|url={{Google books|I_jh4VBi_HYC|page=PA543|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=11 October 2012|date=15 June 2011|publisher=SAGE|isbn=978-1-4129-8016-6|pages=543–545}}</ref><ref name="Christine2008">{{cite book|author1=C. Christine Fair|author2=Sumit Ganguly|title=Treading on Hallowed Ground: Counterinsurgency Operations in Sacred Spaces|url={{Google books|L2E1NpYuOrsC|page=PA39|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=11 October 2012|date=29 September 2008|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-534204-8|pages=39–40}}</ref> Later, Bhindranwale's organisation [[Damdami Taksal]] became embroiled in violence with another religious sect called the [[Sant Nirankari Mission]], and he was accused of instigating the murder of [[Jagat Narain]], the owner of ''[[Punjab Kesari]]'' newspaper.<ref name="William2011">{{cite book|author=William Gould|title=Religion and Conflict in Modern South Asia|url={{Google books|K2oexn_mLPIC|page=PA237|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=11 October 2012|date=30 November 2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-87949-1|page=237}}</ref> After being arrested in this matter, Bhindranwale disassociated himself from Congress and joined hands with the Akali Dal.<ref name="Deol2012">{{cite book|author=Harnik Deol|title=Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of the Punjab|url={{Google books|wKRP1-H8T8AC|page=PA105|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=11 October 2012|date=2 October 2012|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-20108-7|page=105}}</ref> In July 1982, he led the campaign for the implementation of the [[Anandpur Resolution]], which demanded greater autonomy for the Sikh-majority state. Meanwhile, a small section of the Sikhs, including some of Bhindranwale's followers, turned to militancy after being targeted by government officials and police in support of the Resolution.<ref name="Martin2004">{{cite book|author1=Martin E. Marty|author2=R. Scott Appleby|title=Fundamentalisms Comprehended|url={{Google books|wiBwMJrlMVoC|page=PA454|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=11 October 2012|date=1 May 2004|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0-226-50888-7|page=454}}</ref> In 1982, Bhindranwale and approximately 200 armed followers moved into a guest house called the Guru Nanak Niwas, in the precinct of the [[Golden Temple]].<ref name="itp1">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/millennium/100people/jarnail.html|title=Prophet of Hate:J S Bhindranwale|last=Singh|first=Tavleen|magazine=India Today|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620164214/http://www.india-today.com/itoday/millennium/100people/jarnail.html|archivedate=20 June 2008|accessdate=22 December 2009}}</ref> By 1983, the Temple complex had become a fort for a large number of militants.<ref name="Satish Jacob 1985">Mark Tully and Satish Jacob, Amritsar&nbsp;– Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle (Calcutta: Rupa & Co. by arrangement with Pan Books, London, 1985)</ref> ''[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]]'' later reported that [[light machine gun]]<nowiki/>s and [[semi-automatic rifle]]<nowiki/>s were known to have been brought into the compound.<ref>Kuldip Nayar and Khushwant Singh, Tragedy of Punjab, Vision Books, New Delhi, 1984, page 79.</ref> On 23 April 1983, the Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General [[A. S. Atwal]] was shot dead as he left the Temple compound. The following day, after the murder, [[Harchand Singh Longowal]] (then president of [[Shiromani Akali Dal]]) confirmed the involvement of [[Bhindranwale]] in the murder.<ref>Longowal said "Whenever the situation becomes ripe for settlement, some violent incident takes place. I know [[Bhindranwale]] is behind the murder of the DIG", "(The person behind the murder is) The one who is afraid of losing his seat of power"{{cite book | title = Indian Express | date = 27 April 1983 | pages = interview with Longowal | url = | id = | isbn = | nopp = true }}</ref> After several futile negotiations, Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian army in June 1984 to enter the Golden Temple in order to remove Bhindranwale and his supporters from the complex. The army used heavy artillery, including tanks, in the action code-named [[Operation Blue Star]]. The operation badly damaged or destroyed parts of the Temple complex, including the [[Akal Takht]] shrine and the Sikh library. It also led to the deaths of a large number of Sikh fighters and innocent pilgrims. The number of casualties remain disputed with estimates ranging from many hundreds to many thousands<ref name="Univ. of Michigan Press">{{cite book|last1=Guidry|first1=John|last2=Kennedy|first2=Michael D.|last3=Zald|first3=Mayer N. (Editors)|title=Globalizations and social movements : culture, power, and the transnational public sphere|date=2000|publisher=Univ. of Michigan Press|location=Ann Arbor, Michigan|isbn=9780472067213|page=319|edition=Reprint.|url={{Google books|Eh0OlJWuh4sC|page=PR7|keywords=bhindranwale|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=14 September 2017}}</ref> Gandhi was accused of using the attack for political ends. Dr. Harjinder Singh Dilgeer stated that Indira Gandhi attacked the temple complex to present herself as a great hero in order to win general elections planned towards the end of 1984.<ref name="Dilg">"Indira Gandhi had since long been planning for an attack on Darbar Sahib..." Harjinder Singh Dilgeer (2012). ''Sikh History in 10 Volumes''. vol 7, p. 168; 196-197.</ref> There was fierce criticism of the action by Sikhs in India and overseas.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mandair|first1=Arvind-pal Singh|last2=Shackle|first2=Christopher|last3=Singh|first3=Gurharpal (Editors)|title=Sikh religion, culture and ethnicity|date=2001|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781136846342|pages=169–171|url={{Google books|D8xdAgAAQBAJ|page=PA161|keywords=1984%20protest%20golden%20temple|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> There were also incidents of mutiny by Sikh soldiers in the aftermath of the attack.<ref name="Univ. of Michigan Press"/> ===Assassination=== {{main|Assassination of Indira Gandhi|1984 anti-Sikh riots}} [[File:Indira Gandhi's Saree.jpg|thumb|The Saree that Indira wore on the day of her assassination]] [[File:PathOfMartyrdom.JPG|thumb|Today, the spot where Indira Gandhi was assassinated is marked by a glass opening in the crystal pathway at the Indira Gandhi Memorial]] [[File:Samadhi of Indira Gandhi (Shakti Sthala).JPG|thumb|upright|alt=Samadhi of Indira Gandhi|''[[Raj Ghat|Shakti Sthala]]'', the place where Indira Gandhi was cremated at New Delhi]] The day before her death (30 October 1984), Gandhi visited [[Odisha|Orissa]] where she gave her last speech at the then Parade Ground in front of the Secretariat of Orissa. In that speech, she strikingly associated her blood with the health of the nation: "I am alive today, I may not be there tomorrow...I shall continue to serve until my last breath and when I die, I can say, that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it...<ref name=assassination>{{cite news|title=Last speech of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi prior to her assassination|url=http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/142182-Last-speech-Indira-Gandhi-at-Bhubaneswar.aspx|accessdate=9 March 2013|newspaper=''India Study Channel''|date=21 June 2011}}</ref> Even if I died in the service of the nation, I would be proud of it. Every drop of my blood... will contribute to the growth of this nation and to make it strong and dynamic."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-remembering-indira-gandhi-on-her-29th-death-anniversary-1911491|title=Remembering Indira Gandhi on her 29th death anniversary {{!}} Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=30 October 2013|website=dna|language=en-US|access-date=5 June 2016}}</ref> On 31 October 1984, two of Gandhi's bodyguards, [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]], shot her with their service weapons in the garden of the Prime Minister's residence at 1 Safdarjung Road, New Delhi.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/06/world/india-hangs-two-sikhs-convicted-in-assassination-of-indira-gandhi.html|title=India Hangs Two Sikhs Convicted In Assassination of Indira Gandhi|last=Crossette|first=Barbara|date=1989|work=The New York Times|access-date=5 December 2017|last2=Times|first2=Special to the New York|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The shooting occurred as she was walking past a wicket gate guarded by Satwant and Beant. She was to be interviewed by the British actor [[Peter Ustinov]], who was filming a documentary for Irish television.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/indira-gandhi-assassination-death-anniversary-things-to-know-operation-blue-star/1/799136.html|title=32 years of Indira Gandhi assassination, anti-Sikh riots: All you need to know|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> Beant Singh shot her three times using his side-arm and Satwant Singh fired 30 rounds.<ref name=smith>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=William E. |title=Indira Gandhi's assassination sparks a fearful round of sectarian violence |url=http://www.sikhtimes.com/bios_111284a.html |accessdate=19 January 2013 |newspaper=Time |date=12 November 1984}}</ref> Beant Singh and Satwant Singh dropped their weapons and surrendered. Afterwards, they were taken away by other guards into a closed room where Beant Singh was shot dead. [[Kehar Singh]] was later arrested for conspiracy in the attack. Both Satwant and Kehar were sentenced to death and hanged in Delhi's [[Tihar Jail]].{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Indira Gandhi was brought at 9:30 am to the [[All India Institutes of Medical Sciences]] where doctors operated on her. She was declared dead at 2:20 pm. The post-mortem examination was conducted by a team of doctors headed by Dr. [[Tirath Das Dogra]]. Dr Dogra stated that as many as 30 bullet wounds were sustained by Indira Gandhi, from two sources, a [[Sterling submachine gun]]<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,926929-2,00.html Indira Gandhi: Death in the Garden] – ''TIME''</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8QufTc6fAocC&pg=RA1-PA135&lpg=RA1-PA135 Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues With Sikh Militants] – Cynthia Keppley Mahmood – Google Books</ref> and a pistol. The assailants had fired 31 bullets at her, of which 30 had hit; 23 had passed through her body while 7 were trapped inside her. Dr Dogra extracted bullets to establish the identity of the weapons and to match each weapon with the bullets recovered by ballistic examination. The bullets were matched with respective weapons at CFSL Delhi. Subsequently, Dr Dogra appeared in the court of Shri Mahesh Chandra as an expert witness (PW-5), and his testimony lasted several sessions. The cross examination was conducted by Shri [[Pran Nath Lekhi]], the defence counsel.<ref>Dr. T D Dogra's Expert Evidence in trial of assassination of Late Mrs Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (Witness No. PW 5) Raina Anupuma, Lalwani Sanjeev, Dogra TD, Dept. of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, AIIMS, N. Delhi. Indian Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, Year : 2009, Volume : 7, Issue : 4</ref> [[Salma Sultan]] gave the first news of the assassination of Indira Gandhi on [[Doordarshan]]'s evening news on 31 October 1984, more than 10 hours after she was shot.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-riots-that-could-not-be-televised/536471/ The riots that could not be televised]. Indian Express (3 November 2009). Retrieved on 21 May 2014.</ref><ref>[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/We+the+eyeballs/1/1328.html We the eyeballs : Cover Story – India Today]. Indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved on 21 May 2014.</ref> She died two weeks and five days before her 67th birthday.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Gandhi was cremated on 3 November near [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Raj Ghat]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/11/04/indira-gandhi-cremated-in-hindu-ritual/124ca3f5-3121-4289-9c7d-51a953ab7b39/|title=Indira Gandhi Cremated in Hindu Ritual|last=Claiborne|first=William|date=4 November 1984|work=Washington Post|access-date=5 December 2017|last2=report|first2=Washington Post Foreign Service; Lena Sun of the Washington Post Foreign Service contributed to this|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The site where she was cremated is today known as [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Shakti Sthal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delhiinformation.in/tourism/memorials/shaktisthal.html|title=Shakti Sthal - Delhi Information|website=www.delhiinformation.in|language=en|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref> After her death, the Parade Ground was converted to the Indira Gandhi Park which was inaugurated by her son, Rajiv Gandhi. Her funeral was televised live on domestic and international stations, including the [[BBC]]. Following her cremation, millions of Sikhs were displaced and nearly three thousand were killed in [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|anti-Sikh riots]].<ref>{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8306420.stm|title= Indira Gandhi's death remembered|date= 1 November 2009|work=BBC News }}</ref> [[Rajiv Gandhi]] on a live TV show said of the carnage, "When a big tree falls, the earth shakes."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/video-of-rajiv-gandhis-infamous-tree-falls-comment-released-by-aap-bjp-leaders/|title=HS Phoolka releases video of Rajiv Gandhi's speech justifying 1984 riots|date=19 November 2015|work=The Indian Express|access-date=19 July 2017|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-watch-the-shocking-video-where-rajiv-gandhi-justified-1984-anti-sikh-riots-2147228|title=Watch: The shocking video where Rajiv Gandhi justified 1984 anti-Sikh riots {{!}} Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=20 November 2015|work=dna|access-date=19 July 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> ==Foreign relations== Gandhi is remembered for her ability to effectively promote Indian foreign policy measures.<ref name="Genovese, Michael A. 1993">Genovese, Michael A., ed. Women As National Leaders. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. Print.</ref> ===South Asia=== {{see|List of state visits made by Indira Gandhi}} In early 1971, disputed elections in Pakistan led the then [[East Pakistan]] to declare independence as Bangladesh. Repression and violence by the Pakistani army led 10 million refugees to cross border in to India over the coming months.<ref name="ahsgjxajtu0c244">{{cite book|last1=Reynolds|first1=David|title=One world divisible : a global history since 1945|date=2001|publisher=W.W. Norton|location=New York|isbn=978-0393321081|pages=244–247|url={{Google books|AHsGJxAJTU0C|page=PR14|keywords=indira%20gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> Finally in December 1971, Gandhi directly intervened in the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|conflict]] to liberate [[Bangladesh]]. India emerged victorious in the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|resulting conflict]] to become the dominant power of South Asia.<ref>{{cite book|first=Hermann|last=Kulke|title=A History of India|publisher=Routledge|year=2004|page=359|isbn=978-0415329194}}</ref> India had signed a [[Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation|treaty]] with the Soviet Union promising mutual assistance in the case of war,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Reynolds|first1=David|title=One world divisible : a global history since 1945|date=2001|publisher=W.W. Norton|location=New York|isbn=978-0393321081|page=246|url={{Google books|AHsGJxAJTU0C|page=PR14|keywords=indira%20gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> while Pakistan received active support from the United States during the conflict.<ref name="NixonWitchBBC">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4633263.stm Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira, BBC News, 29 June 2005]. BBC News (29 June 2005). Retrieved on 18 June 2011.</ref> U.S. President [[Richard Nixon]] disliked Gandhi personally, referring to her as a "witch" and "clever fox" in his private communication with Secretary of State [[Henry Kissinger]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4633263.stm|title=BBC NEWS {{!}} South Asia {{!}} Nixon's dislike of 'witch' Indira|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=19 July 2017|date=29 June 2005}}</ref> Nixon later wrote of the war: "[Gandhi] suckered [America]. Suckered us.....this woman suckered us.".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/this-woman-suckered-us-said-nixon-of-indira-gandhi/story-WGR773bfTnuAsEffYYvq5O.html|title='This woman suckered us', said Nixon of Indira Gandhi|last=|first=|date=2 March 2010|work=www.hindustantimes.com|access-date=19 July 2017|language=en}}</ref> Relations with the U.S. became distant as Gandhi developed closer ties with the Soviet Union after the war. The latter grew to become India's largest trading partner and its biggest arms supplier for much of Gandhi's premiership.<ref>{{cite book|first=Linda |last=Racioppi|title=Soviet Policy towards South Asia since 1970|location=|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1994|page=65|isbn=978-0521414579}}</ref> India's new hegemonic position as articulated under the "Indira Doctrine" led to attempts to bring the [[Himalayan states]] under the Indian sphere of influence.<ref>{{cite book|first=Harish|last=Kapur|title=Foreign Policies Of India's Prime Ministers|location=|publisher=Lancer Publishers|year=2009|page=138|isbn=978-0979617485}}</ref> [[Nepal]] and [[Bhutan]] remained aligned with India, while in 1975, after years of building up support, Gandhi incorporated [[Sikkim]] into India, after [[1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum|a referendum]] in which a majority of Sikkimese voted to join India.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface|page=225|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|author=James F. Fisher|year=1978|url={{Google books|m8Eq6Obu6oYC|page=|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref>{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=120-121}} This was denounced as a "despicable act" by China.<ref>{{cite book|first=G. S. |last=Bajpai|title=China's Shadow Over Sikkim: The Politics of Intimidation|location=|publisher=Lancer Publishers|year=1999|page=210|isbn=978-1897829523}}</ref> [[File:Jacqueline Kennedy and Indira Gandhi.jpg|thumb|Indira Gandhi with [[Jacqueline Kennedy]] in New Delhi, 1962]] India [[Indo-Bangla Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Peace|maintained close ties]] with neighbouring [[Bangladesh]] (formerly [[East Pakistan]]) following the [[Bangladesh Liberation War|Liberation War]]. Prime Minister [[Sheikh Mujibur Rahman]] recognized Gandhi's contributions to the independence of Bangladesh. However, Mujibur Rahman's pro-India policies antagonised many in Bangladeshi politics and the military, who feared that Bangladesh had become a client state of India.<ref name="Nair">{{cite book|first=P. Sukumaran|last=Nair|title=Indo-Bangladesh Relations|location=|publisher=APH Publishing|year=2008|page=47|isbn=978-8131304082}}</ref><ref name="MK">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/19.htm |title=Mujib's downfall |publisher=Countrystudies.us |date=15 August 1975 |accessdate=31 July 2013}}</ref> The [[Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman|Assassination of Mujibur Rahman]] in 1975 led to the establishment of Islamist military regimes that sought to distance the country from India.<ref name="IB">{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/106.htm |title=Bangladesh's relations with India |publisher=Countrystudies.us |accessdate=31 July 2013}}</ref> Gandhi's relationship with the military regimes was strained, due to her alleged support of anti-Islamist leftist guerrilla forces in Bangladesh.<ref name="IB" /> Generally, however, there was a rapprochement between Gandhi and the Bangladeshi regimes, although issues such as border disputes and the [[Farakka Barrage|Farakka Dam]] remained an irritant in bilateral ties.<ref>{{cite book|first= N |last=Jayapalan|title=India And Her Neighbours|location=|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|year=2000|page=134|isbn=978-8171569120}}</ref> In 2011, the Government of Bangladesh conferred its highest state award posthumously on Gandhi for her "outstanding contribution" to the country's independence.<ref name="Gandhi1971">[http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-25/news/29812476_1_liberation-war-sonia-gandhi-outstanding-contribution Former PM Indira Gandhi honoured with Bangladesh's highest award, The Economic Times, 25 July 2011]. The Economic Times (25 July 2011). Retrieved on 25 December 2012.</ref> Gandhi's approach to dealing with Sri Lanka's [[Sri Lankan Civil War|ethnic problems]] was initially accommodating. She enjoyed cordial relations with Prime Minister [[Sirimavo Bandaranaike]]. In 1974, India ceded the tiny islet of [[Katchatheevu]] to Sri Lanka in order to save Bandaranaike's socialist government from a political disaster.<ref name="Suryanarayan">{{cite book|first=Venkateswaran|last=Suryanarayan|title=Conflict Over Fisheries In The Palk Bay Region|location=|publisher=Lancer Publishers|year=2005|page=65|isbn=978-8170622420}}</ref> However, relations soured over Sri Lanka's turn away from socialism under [[J. R. Jayewardene]], whom Gandhi despised as a "western puppet."{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=5}} India under Gandhi was alleged to have supported [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] militants in the 1980s to put pressure on Jayewardene to abide by Indian interests.<ref name="sndayt">{{cite news|url=http://sundaytimes.lk/970119/plus4.html|title=LTTE: the Indian connection| newspaper=Sunday Times|year=1997|accessdate=29 December 2012}}</ref> Nevertheless, Gandhi rejected demands to invade Sri Lanka in the aftermath of [[Black July|Black July 1983]], an anti-Tamil pogrom carried out by Sinhalese mobs.<ref name="Bandarage">{{cite book|first=Asoka|last= Bandarage|title=The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, Political Economy|publisher=Taylor & Francis|year=2009|page=111|isbn=978-0415776783}}</ref> Gandhi made a statement emphasizing that she stood for the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka, although she also stated that India cannot "remain a silent spectator to any injustice done to the Tamil community."<ref name="Bandarage"/><ref name="Dissanayaka">{{cite book|first=T.D.S.A.|last=Dissanayaka|title=War Or Peace in Sri Lanka|location=|publisher=Popular Prakashan|year=2005|page=84|isbn=978-8179911990}}</ref> India's relationship with Pakistan remained strained following the [[Simla Agreement|Shimla Accord]] in 1972. Gandhi's [[Smiling Buddha|authorization of the detonation of a nuclear device]] at Pokhran in 1974 was viewed by Pakistani leader [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]] as an attempt to intimidate Pakistan into accepting India's hegemony in the subcontinent. However, in May 1976, Gandhi and Bhutto both agreed to reopen diplomatic establishments and normalize relations.<ref name="Grover">{{cite book|first= Verinder|last=Grover|title=Events and Documents of Indo-Pak Relations: Includes Chronology of All Important Events & Documents from 1947 to 1998|location=|publisher=Deep and Deep Publications|year=1999|pages=100–113|isbn=978-8176290593}}</ref> Following the rise to power of General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq]] in Pakistan in 1978, India's relations with its neighbour reached a nadir. Gandhi accused General Zia of supporting [[Khalistan movement|Khalistani]] militants in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]].<ref name="Grover"/> Military hostilities recommenced in 1984 following Gandhi's authorization of [[Operation Meghdoot]].<ref name=Kapur>{{cite book|last=Kapur|first=S. Paul|title=Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0804755504|page=118|year=2007}}</ref> India was victorious in the resulting [[Siachen conflict]] against Pakistan.<ref name=Kapur/> In order to keep the Soviet Union and the United States out of South Asia, Mrs Gandhi was instrumental in establishing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation ([[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation|SAARC]]) in 1983<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India : a political biography of Indira Gandhi|date=2011|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143068266|page=482|edition=Rev.|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PR9|keywords=saarc|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> ===Middle East=== Gandhi remained a staunch supporter of Palestinians in the [[Arab–Israeli conflict]] and was critical of the Middle East diplomacy sponsored by the United States.{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=5}} [[Israel]] was viewed as a religious state and thus [[Two-nation theory|an analogue]] to India's archrival Pakistan. Indian diplomats also hoped to win Arab support in countering Pakistan in [[Kashmir]]. Nevertheless, Gandhi authorized the development of a secret channel of contact and security assistance with Israel in the late 1960s. Her lieutenant, [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]], later became Prime Minister and approved full diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.<ref name="AKapur">{{cite book|first=Ashok|last=Kapur|title=India: From Regional to World Power |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |page=215 |isbn=978-0415328043}}</ref> [[File:Pahlavis meet Indira Gandhi in India, 1970.jpg|thumb|left|Indira Gandhi meeting the [[Shah of Iran]] [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] and [[Shahbanu]] [[Farah Pahlavi]] during their state visit to India in 1970]] India's pro-Arab policy had mixed success. Establishment of close ties with the socialist and secular [[Ba'athism|Baathist]] regimes to some extent neutralized Pakistani propaganda against India.<ref name="Ghosh">{{cite book|first=Anjali|last=Ghosh|title=India's Foreign Policy |publisher=Pearson|year=2009|pages=306–307|isbn=978-8131710258}}</ref> However, the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]] put the Arab and Muslim states of the Middle East in a dilemma as the war was fought by two states both friendly to the Arabs.<ref name="Kaur">{{cite book|first=Ranjit|last=Kaur|title=Islamic Co-Operation and Unity|location=|publisher=Deep and Deep Publications |year=1993 |pages=168–170|isbn=978-8171005642}}</ref> The progressive Arab regimes in [[Egypt]], [[Syria]], and [[Algeria]] chose to remain neutral, while the conservative pro-American Arab monarchies in [[Jordan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Kuwait]], and [[United Arab Emirates]] openly supported Pakistan. Egypt's stance was met with dismay by the Indians, who had come to expect close co-operation with the Baathist regimes.<ref name="Ghosh"/> But, the death of [[Gamal Abdel Nasser|Nasser]] in 1970 and [[Anwar Sadat|Sadat]]'s growing friendship with [[Riyadh]], and his mounting differences with Moscow, constrained Egypt to a policy of neutrality.<ref name="Ghosh"/> Gandhi's overtures to [[Muammar Gaddafi]] were rebuffed.<ref name="Kaur"/> [[Libya]] agreed with the Arab monarchies in believing that Gandhi's intervention in East Pakistan was an attack against [[Islam]].<ref name="Kaur"/> The 1971 war temporarily became a stumbling block in growing [[India–Iran relations|Indo-Iranian ties]].<ref name="Ghosh"/> Although Iran had earlier characterized the Indo-Pakistani war in 1965 as Indian aggression, the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]] had launched an effort at rapprochement with India in 1969 as part of his effort to secure support for a larger Iranian role in the [[Persian Gulf]].<ref name="Ghosh"/> Gandhi's tilt towards Moscow and her dismemberment of Pakistan was perceived by the Shah as part of a larger anti-Iran conspiracy involving India, [[Iraq]], and the Soviet Union.<ref name="Ghosh"/> Nevertheless, Iran had resisted Pakistani pressure to activate the [[Baghdad Pact]] and draw in the [[Baghdad Pact|Central Treaty Organisation]] (CENTO) into the conflict.<ref name="Ghosh"/> Gradually, Indian and Iranian disillusionment with their respective regional allies led to a renewed partnership between the nations.<ref name=hunter>{{cite book|last=Hunter|first=Shireen|title=Iran's Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era: Resisting the New International Order|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0804755504|date=2010|pages=120–121}}</ref> Gandhi was unhappy with the lack of support from India's Arab allies during the war with Pakistan, while the Shah was apprehensive at the growing friendship between Pakistan and [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf]], specially Saudi Arabia, and the growing influence of Islam in Pakistani society.<ref name=hunter/> There was an increase in Indian economic and military co-operation with [[Iran]] during the 1970s.<ref name=hunter/> The 1974 India-Iranian agreement led to Iran supplying nearly 75 percent of India's crude oil demands.<ref name=pande>{{cite book|last=Pande|first=Aparna|title=Explaining Pakistan's Foreign Policy|publisher=Taylor & Francis, 2011|isbn=978-1136818943|year=2011|page=146}}</ref> Gandhi appreciated the Shah's disregard of [[Pan-Islamism]] in diplomacy.<ref name=hunter/> ===Asia-Pacific=== One of the major developments in [[Southeast Asia]] during Gandhi's premiership was the formation of the [[Association of Southeast Asian Nations]] (ASEAN) in 1967. Relations between ASEAN and India was mutually antagonistic. ASEAN in the Indian perception was linked to the [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization]] (SEATO), and it was therefore, seen as a pro-American organisation. On their part, the ASEAN nations were unhappy with Gandhi's sympathy for the [[Viet Cong]] and India's strong links with the [[Soviet Union|USSR]]. Furthermore, they were also apprehensions in the region about Gandhi's future plans, particularly after India played a big role in breaking up Pakistan and facilitating in the emergence of Bangladesh as a sovereign country in 1971. India's entry into the nuclear weapons club in 1974 contributed to tensions in Southeast Asia.<ref name=Nanda>{{cite book|last=Nanda|first=Prakash|title=Rediscovering Asia: Evolution of India's Look-East Policy|publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=978-8170622970|year=2003|pages=220–226}}</ref> Relations only began to improve following Gandhi's endorsement of the [[Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality|ZOPFAN declaration]] and the disintegration of the SEATO alliance in the aftermath of Pakistani and American defeats in the region. Nevertheless, Gandhi's close relations with reunified [[Vietnam]] and her decision to recognize the Vietnam installed Government of [[People's Republic of Kampuchea|Cambodia]] in 1980 meant that India and ASEAN were not able to develop a viable partnership.<ref name=Nanda/> ===Africa=== Although independent India was initially viewed as a champion of anti-colonialism, its cordial relationship with the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] and liberal views of British colonial policies in [[East Africa]] had harmed its image as a staunch supporter of the anti-colonial movements.<ref name="Ghosh2">{{cite book|first=Anjali|last=Ghosh|title=India's Foreign Policy|location=|publisher=Pearson|year=2009|pages=422–424|isbn=978-8131710258}}</ref> Indian condemnation of militant struggles in [[Mau Mau Uprising|Kenya]] and [[Algerian War|Algeria]] was in sharp contrast to China, who had supported armed struggle to win African independence.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> After reaching a high diplomatic point in the aftermath of Nehru's role in the [[Suez Crisis]], India's isolation from Africa was complete when only four nations; [[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]], [[Nigeria]] and [[Libya]] supported her during the [[Sino-Indian War]] in 1962.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> After Gandhi became Prime Minister, diplomatic and economic relations with the states which had sided with India during the Sino-Indian War were expanded.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> Gandhi began negotiations with the Kenyan government to establish the Africa-India Development Cooperation. The Indian government also started considering the possibility of bringing Indians settled in Africa within the framework of its policy goals to help recover its declining geo-strategic influence. Gandhi declared the people of Indian origin settled in Africa as "Ambassadors of India."<ref name="Ghosh2"/> Efforts to rope in the Asian community to join Indian diplomacy, however, came to naught, partly because of the unwillingness of Indians to remain in politically insecure surroundings and partly due to the exodus of African Indians to Britain with the passing of the [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968|Commonwealth Immigrants Act]] in 1968.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> In [[Uganda]], the African Indian community even [[Expulsion of Asians from Uganda|suffered persecution and eventually expulsion]] under the government of [[Idi Amin]].<ref name="Oonk">{{cite book|first=Gijsbert|last=Oonk|title=Global Indian Diasporas: Exploring Trajectories of Migration and Theory|location=|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|year=2007|page=189|isbn=978-9053560358}}</ref> Foreign and domestic policy successes in the 1970s enabled Gandhi to rebuild India's image in the eyes of African states.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> Victory over Pakistan and India's possession of nuclear weapons showed the degree of India's progress.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> Furthermore, the conclusion of the Indo-Soviet treaty in 1971 and threatening gestures by the major western power, the United States, to send its nuclear armed [[Task Force 74]] into the [[Bay of Bengal]] at the height of the East Pakistan crisis had enabled India to regain its anti-imperialist image.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> Gandhi firmly tied Indian anti-imperialist interests in Africa to those of the Soviet Union.<ref name="Mawdsley">{{Cite book | publisher = Fahamu & Pambazuka | pages = 51–52|url={{Google books|fMnTomlIPQwC|page=PA51|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-1906387655 | last = Mawdsley | first = Emma |author2=Gerard McCann | title = India in Africa: Changing Geographies of Power | year = 2011 }}</ref> Unlike Nehru, she openly and enthusiastically supported liberation struggles in Africa.<ref name="Mawdsley"/> At the same time, Chinese influence in Africa had declined owing to its incessant quarrels with the Soviet Union.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> These developments permanently halted India's decline in Africa and helped reestablish its geo-strategic presence.<ref name="Ghosh2"/> ===The Commonwealth=== [[File:Chegada ao Rio de Janeiro de Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, primeira ministra da Índia..tif|thumb|Indira Gandhi on a visit to Brazil, 1968, [[Brazilian National Archives|National Archives of Brazil]]]] The [[Commonwealth]] is voluntary association of mainly former British colonies. India maintained cordial relations with most of the members during Indira Gandhi's time in power. In the 1980s, Indira Gandhi along with Canadian Prime Minister [[Pierre Trudeau]], Zambia's President [[Kenneth Kaunda]], Australian prime minister [[Malcolm Fraser]] and Singapore Prime Minister [[Lee Kuan Yew]] was regarded as one of the pillars of the commonwealth<ref>{{cite book|last1=Low|first1=D.A.|title=The contraction of England : an inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Cambridge on 22 October 1984|date=1984|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]|isbn=9780521314244|page=28|url={{Google books|U8o7AAAAIAAJ|page=PA42|keywords=gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> India under Indira also hosted the 1983 Commonwealth heads of Government summit in New Delhi in 1983. Gandhi used to use the Commonwealth meetings as a forum to put pressure on member countries to cut economic, sports, and cultural ties with [[Apartheid]] South Africa <ref>Danilewitz, J., 1998. Athletics & apartheid. Harvard International Review, 20(4), p.36.</ref> ===The Non-aligned Movement=== [[File:Indira Gandhi & Nicolae Ceauşescu.jpg|thumb|Gandhi with [[Nicolae Ceaușescu]] in 1969]] In the early 1980s under Gandhi, India attempted to reassert its prominent role in the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] by focusing on the relationship between disarmament and economic development. By appealing to the economic grievances of [[Developing country|developing countries]], Gandhi and her successors exercised a moderating influence on the Non-aligned movement, diverting it from some of the [[Cold War]] issues that marred the controversial 1979 Havana meeting where Cuban leader [[Fidel Castro]] attempted to steer the movement towards the Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India : a political biography of Indira Gandhi|date=2011|publisher=Penguin Books|location=New York|isbn=9780143068266|pages=499–500|edition=Rev.|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PR9|keywords=%22non%20aligned%20movement%22%20india%20indira|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> Although hosting the 1983 summit at Delhi boosted Indian prestige within the movement, its close relations with the [[Soviet Union]] and its pro-Soviet positions on [[Afghanistan]] and [[Cambodia]] limited its influence.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ===Western Europe=== Indira spent a number of years in Europe during her youth and formed many friendships during her stay there. During her premiership she formed friendship with many socialist leaders such as German chancellor, [[Willy Brandt]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brandt|first1=Willy|last2=Bell|first2=Anthea (translator)|title=Arms and hunger|date=1987|publisher=MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=9780262521277|pages=43–44|edition=1st MIT Press English language pbk.|url={{Google books|hBhr8W16XWMC|page=PP11|keywords=indira|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> and Austrian chancellor [[Bruno Kreisky]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kreisky|first1=Bruno|last2=Lewis|first2=Jill|last3=Rathkolb|first3=Oliver|title=The struggle for a democratic Austria : Bruno Kreisky on peace and social justice|date=2000|publisher=Berghahn Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1571811554|pages=413–414|url={{Google books|lb6uBAAAQBAJ|page=PR11|keywords=%20gandhi|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> She also enjoyed closed working relationship with many British leaders including conservative premiers, [[Edward Heath]] and [[Margaret Thatcher]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gupte|first1=Pranay|title=Mother India : a political biography of Indira Gandhi|date=1992|publisher=Scribner's|location=New York|isbn=978-0-684-19296-3|pages=516–517|url={{Google books|OOmK1lPWq80C|page=PR9|keywords=%20thatcher|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> ===Soviet Union=== The relationship between India and the Soviet Union deepened during Gandhi's rule. The main reason was the perceived bias of United States and China, the rivals of USSR, towards Pakistan. The support of the Soviets with arms supplies and casting of veto at United Nations helped in winning and consolidating the victory over Pakistan in the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. Prior to the war Indira signed a treaty of friendship with the Soviets. The Soviets were not happy with the 1974 nuclear test conducted by India but did not support further action because of the ensuing Cold War with the United States. Indira was not happy with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan but once again calculations involving relations with Pakistan and China kept from criticizing the Soviet Union harshly. The Soviets became the main arms supplier during the Indira years by offering cheap credit and transactions in rupees rather than in dollars. The easy trade deals also applied to non-military goods. Under Indira by the early 1980s the Soviets became the largest trading partner of India.<ref name="British Academic Press">{{cite book|last1=Light|first1=Margot (Editor)|last2=Duncan|first2=Peter J.S. (Author)|title=Troubled friendships : Moscow's Third World ventures, Chapter II, Soviet-Indian Model|date=1993|publisher=British Academic Press|location=London [u.a.]|isbn=9781850436492|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a7MA1F1TD08C&pg=PA29#v=snippet&q=indira%20gandhi%20%22soviet%20union%22%20-institute%20arms%20}}</ref> ===United States=== When Indira came to power in 1966, Lyndon Johnson was the US president. At that time, India was reliant on US for food aid. Indira resented the US policy of food aid as a tool in forcing India to adopt policies favored by the US. She also resolutely refused to sign the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|NPT]] (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons). Relations with US strained badly under President [[Richard Nixon]] and his favoring of Pakistan during the Bangladesh liberation war. Nixon despised Indira politically and personally.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Van Dijk|first1=Ruud|last2=Glenn Gray|first2=William|last3=Savranskaya|first3=Svetlana|last4=Suri|first4=Jeremi|last5=Zhai|first5=Qiang (editors)|title=Encyclopedia of the Cold War.|date=2008|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=9780203880210|pages=340–341|url={{Google books|QgX0bQ3Enj4C|page=PR3|keywords=%22indira%20gandhi%22%20johnson|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> Indira met President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981 for the first time at the [[North–South Summit]] held to discuss global poverty. Indira had been described to him as an 'Ogre' but he found her charming and easy to work with and they formed a close working relationship during her premiership in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wolfgang|first1=Hoppenstedt ...(editor)|title=Global management|date=2005|publisher=Lit|location=Wien|isbn=978-3-8258-8644-8|pages=65–66|url={{Google books|ZaeM0YNbRA4C|page=PA61|keywords=indira%20|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref> ==Economic policy== Gandhi presided over three [[Five-Year Plans of India|Five-Year Plans]] as Prime Minister, two of which succeeded in meeting the targeted growth.<ref name="Growth statistics">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=rRWDxpHcBHoC&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&q=sixth%20five%20year%20plan%20of%20india%20growth%20actual%205.6|title=World bank and economic development of India|publisher=APH Publishing|year=2000|isbn=978-81-7648-121-2|page=375|author=L. N. Dash}}</ref> There is considerable debate regarding whether Gandhi was a socialist on principle or out of political expediency.<ref name="Rosser"/> [[Sunanda K. Datta-Ray]] described her as "a master of rhetoric...often more posture than policy", while ''[[The Times]]'' journalist, Peter Hazelhurst, famously quipped that Gandhi's socialism was "slightly left of self-interest."<ref name="Indira">{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=166151&sectioncode=22 |title=Indira – terror personified or goddess? |publisher=Timeshighereducation.co.uk |date=7 December 2001 |accessdate=31 July 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722143044/http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=166151&sectioncode=22 |archivedate=22 July 2012 }}</ref> Critics have focused on the contradictions in the evolution of her stance towards [[communism]]; Gandhi being known for her anti-communist stance in the 1950s with [[Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai|Meghnad Desai]] even describing her as "the scourge of [India's] Communist Party."<ref name="Desai">{{cite book|first=Meghnad|last=Desai|title=The Rediscovery Of India|location=|publisher=Penguin Books India|year=2011|page=346|isbn=978-0143417354}}</ref> Yet, she later forged close relations with Indian communists even while using the army to break the [[Naxalite]]s. In this context, Gandhi was accused of formulating populist policies to suit her political needs; being seemingly against the rich and big business while preserving the status quo in order to manipulate the support of the left at times of political insecurity, such as the late 1960s.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}}<ref name="Jaffrelot">{{Cite book | publisher = C. Hurst & Co. Publishers | pages = 131–142|url={{Google books|-rMW03l_gx0C|page=PA136|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-1850653981 | last = Jaffrelot | first = Christoph | title = India's Silent Revolution: The Rise of the Lower Castes in North India | year = 2003 }}</ref> Although Gandhi came to be viewed in time as the scourge of the right-wing and reactionary political elements of India, leftist opposition to her policies emerged. As early as 1969, critics had begun accusing her of insincerity and [[machiavellianism]]. ''The Indian Libertarian'' wrote that: "it would be difficult to find a more machiavellian leftist than Mrs Indira Gandhi...for here is [[Niccolò Machiavelli|Machiavelli]] at its best in the person of a suave, charming and astute politician."<ref>The Indian Libertarian, Volume 15–17. 1969. University of Virginia.</ref> [[J. Barkley Rosser Jr.|Rosser]] wrote that "some have even seen the declaration of emergency rule in 1975 as a move to suppress [leftist] dissent against Gandhi's policy shift to the right."<ref name="Rosser"/> In the 1980s, Gandhi was accused of "betraying socialism" after the beginning of ''Operation Forward'', an attempt at economic reform.<ref name="Datta-Ray">Sunanda K. Datta-Ray; ''Indira Gandhi: Enigma, Mother-Goddess and Terror Incernate''. 3 November 1994. The Straits Times (Singapore).</ref> Nevertheless, others were more convinced of Gandhi's sincerity and devotion to socialism. Pankaj Vohra noted that "even the late prime minister's critics would concede that the maximum number of legislations of social significance was brought about during her tenure...[and that] she lives in the hearts of millions of Indians who shared her concern for the poor and weaker sections and who supported her politics."<ref name="aam aadmi">{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsPankajVohra/The-original-aam-aadmi-leader/Article1-471695.aspx |title=The original aam aadmi leader |publisher=Hindustantimes.com |date=1 November 2009 |accessdate=31 July 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513074215/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsPankajVohra/The-original-aam-aadmi-leader/Article1-471695.aspx |archivedate=13 May 2013 }}</ref> In summarizing the biographical works on Gandhi, Blema S. Steinberg concluded she was decidedly non-ideological.<ref name="Steinberg">{{cite book|first= Blema|last=Steinberg|title=Women in Power: The Personalities and Leadership Styles of Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, and Margaret Thatcher|location=|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press|year=2008|pages=79–95|isbn=9780-773533561}}</ref> Only 7.4% (24) of the total 330 biographical extractions posit ideology as a reason for her policy choices.<ref name="Steinberg"/> Steinberg noted Gandhi's association with socialism was superficial; only having a general and traditional commitment to the ideology, by way of her political and family ties.<ref name="Steinberg"/> Gandhi personally had a fuzzy concept of socialism. In one of the early interviews she had given as Prime Minister, Gandhi had ruminated: "I suppose you could call me a socialist, but you have understand what we mean by that term...we used the word [socialism] because it came closest to what we wanted to do here – which is to eradicate poverty. You can call it socialism; but if by using that word we arouse controversy, I don't see why we should use it. I don't believe in words at all."<ref name="Steinberg"/> Regardless of the debate over her ideology or lack of thereof, Gandhi remains a left-wing icon. She has been described by Hindustan Times columnist, Pankaj Vohra as "arguably the greatest mass leader of the last century."<ref name="aam aadmi"/> Her campaign slogan, ''[[Garibi Hatao]]'' ('Remove Poverty'), has become the iconic motto of the Indian National Congress{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=January 2017}}. To the rural and urban poor, untouchables, minorities and women in India, Gandhi was "Indira Amma or Mother Indira."<ref name="Chandra 2007c">{{Cite book | publisher = Penguin Books India | page = 335|url={{Google books|dE9qEg-NgHMC|page=PA335|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0143104094 | last = Chandra | first = Bipan |author2=Aditya Mukherjee |author3=Mridula Mukherjee | title = India Since Independence | year = 2008 }}</ref> ===Green Revolution and the Fourth Five-Year Plan=== Gandhi inherited a weak and troubled economy. Fiscal problems associated with the war with Pakistan in 1965, along with a drought-induced food crisis that spawned famines, had plunged India into the sharpest recession since independence.<ref name="Rosser"/><ref name="Kapila1">{{Cite book | publisher =Academic Foundation | page = 126|url={{Google books|de66PkzcfusC|page=PA126|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-8171881055 | last = Kapila | first = Raj | last2= Kapila | first2= Uma | title = Understanding India's economic Reforms | year = 2004 }}</ref> The government responded by taking steps to liberalize the economy, and by agreeing to the devaluation of the currency in return for the restoration of foreign aid.<ref name="Kapila1"/> The economy managed to recover in 1966 and ended up growing at 4.1% over 1966–1969.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}}<ref name="Nayak">{{Cite book | publisher = SAGE Publications | pages = 8–9|url={{Google books|TxkfWrkb2n4C|page=PA8|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-8132104520 | last = Nayak | first = Pulin |author2=Bishwanath Goldar |author3=Pradeep Agrawal | title = India's Economy and Growth | year = 2010 }}</ref> But, much of that growth was offset by the fact that the external aid promised by the United States government and the [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development]] (IBRD), meant to ease the short-run costs of adjustment to a liberalized economy, never materialized.<ref name="Kapila1"/> American policy makers had complained of continued restrictions imposed on the economy. At the same time, Indo-US relations were straining due to Gandhi's criticism of the American bombing campaign in Vietnam. While it was thought, at the time, and for decades after, that President [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson]]'s policy of withholding [[Food for Peace|food grain shipments]] was to coerce Indian support for the war, in fact, it was to offer India rainmaking technology that he wanted to use as a counterweight to China's possession of the atomic bomb.<ref>http://faculty.georgetown.edu/khb3/Osiris/papers/Doel-Harper.pdf</ref><ref name="Oliver">{{cite book|first=Robert W.|last=Oliver|title=George Woods and the World Bank|year=1995|page=144|isbn=978-1555875039}}</ref> In light of the circumstances, liberalization became politically suspect and was soon abandoned.<ref name="Kapila1"/> Grain diplomacy and currency devaluation became matters of intense national pride in India. After the bitter experience with Johnson, Gandhi decided not to request food aid in the future. Moreover, Gandhi's government resolved never again to become "so vulnerably dependent" on aid, and painstakingly began building up substantial foreign exchange reserves.<ref name="Kirk">{{Cite book | publisher = Anthem Press | pages = 20–21|url={{Google books|nALKqdykmrwC|page=PA17|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0857284129 | last = Kirk | first = Jason A. | title = India and the World Bank: The Politics of Aid and Influence | year = 2011 }}</ref> When food stocks slumped after poor harvests in 1972, the government made it a point to use foreign exchange to buy US wheat commercially rather than seek resumption of food aid.<ref name="Kux">{{Cite book | publisher = DIANE Publishing | page = 311|url={{Google books|zcylFXH9_z8C|page=PA311|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0788102790 | last = Kux | first = Dennis | title = India and the United States: Estranged Democracies, 1941–1991 | year = 1992 }}</ref> [[File:Indira Gandhi and LBJ meeting in the Oval Office (1).tif|thumb|left|Indira Gandhi meeting President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] in the Oval Office on 28 March 1966]] The period of 1967–75 was characterized by socialist ascendency in India which culminated in 1976 with the [[List of amendments of the Constitution of India|official declaration of state socialism]]. Gandhi not only abandoned the short lived liberalization programme but also aggressively expanded the public sector with new licensing requirements and other restrictions for industry. She began a new course by launching the Fourth Five-Year Plan in 1969. The government targeted growth at 5.7% while stating as its goals, "growth with stability and progressive achievement of self-reliance."{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}}<ref name="Gupta">{{Cite book | publisher = Deep and Deep Publications | page = 7|url={{Google books|8D0iS_EF8_AC|page=PA7|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-8176295598 | last = Gupta | first = K. L. |author2=Harvinder Kaur | title = New Indian Economy and Reforms | year = 2004 }}</ref> The rationale behind the overall plan was Gandhi's ''Ten Point Programme'' of 1967. This had been her first economic policy formulation, six months after coming to office. The programme emphasized greater state control of the economy with the understanding that government control assured greater welfare than private control.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} Related to this point were a set of policies which were meant to regulate the private sector.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} By the end of the 1960s, the reversal of the liberalization process was complete, and India's policies were characterised as "protectionist as ever."<ref name="Kirk"/> To deal with India's food problems, Gandhi expanded the emphasis on production of inputs to agriculture that had already been initiated by her father, Jawaharlal Nehru.<ref name="Rosser"/> The [[Green Revolution in India]] subsequently culminated under her government in the 1970s and transformed the country from a nation heavily reliant on imported grains and prone to famine to being largely able to feed itself, and become successful in achieving its goal of food security. Gandhi had a personal motive in pursuing agricultural self-sufficiency, having found India's dependency on the U.S. for shipments of grains humiliating.<ref>{{cite book|first=Maya|last=Chadda|title=Building Democracy in South Asia|location=London|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|year=2000|page=150|isbn=978-1555878597}}</ref> The economic period of 1967–75 became significant for its major wave of nationalisations amidst the increased regulation of the private sector.<ref name="Rosser"/> Some of the other objectives of the economic plan for the period was to provide for the minimum needs of the community through a rural works program and the removal of the privy purses of the nobility.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} Both these, and many other goals of the 1967 program were accomplished by 1974–75. Nevertheless, the success of the overall economic plan was tempered by the fact that annual growth at 3.3–3.4% over 1969–74 fell short of the targeted figure.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} ===State of Emergency and the Fifth Five-Year Plan=== The Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–79) was enacted in the backdrop of the state of emergency and the ''Twenty Point Program'' of 1975.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} The latter was the economic rationale of the emergency, a political act which has often been justified on economic grounds.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} In contrast to the reception of Gandhi's earlier economic plan, this one was criticized for being a "hastily thrown together wish list."{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} Gandhi promised to reduce poverty by targeting the consumption levels of the poor and enact wide-ranging social and economic reforms. The government additionally targeted an annual growth of 4.4% over the period of the plan.<ref name="Growth statistics"/> The measures of the emergency regime was able to halt the economic trouble of the early to mid-1970s, which had been marred by harvest failures, fiscal contraction, and the breakdown of the [[Bretton Woods system]] of fixed exchanged rate; the resulting turbulence in the foreign exchange markets being further accentuated by the oil shock of 1973.<ref name="Nayak"/> The government was even able to exceed the targeted growth figure with an annual growth rate of 5.0–5.2% over the five-year period of the plan (1974–79).<ref name="Growth statistics"/>{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} The economy grew at the rate of 9% in 1975–76 alone, and the Fifth Plan, became the first plan during which the per capita income of the economy grew by over 5%.<ref name="Kelly">{{Cite book | publisher = World Scientific | page = 62|url={{Google books|eijMYAdeLkYC|page=PA62|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=9789812564948 | last = Kelly | first = D. David A. |author2=Ramkishen S. Raj |author3=Gillian H. L. Goh | title = Managing Globalisation: Lessons from China And India | year = 2010 }}</ref> ===Operation Forward and the Sixth Five-Year Plan=== Gandhi inherited a weak economy when she again became Prime Minister in 1980.<ref name="Harley">{{Cite book | publisher = Routledge | page = 192|url={{Google books|PtINAAAAQAAJ|page=PA192|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0415001618 | last = Harley | first = Keith |author2=Todd Sandler | title = The Economics of Defence Spending: An International Survey | year = 1990 }}</ref> The preceding year in 1979–80 under the [[Janata Party]] government had led to the strongest recession (−5.2%) in the history of modern India with inflation rampant at 18.2%.<ref name="Rosser"/><ref name="Kelly"/><ref name="Lal">{{cite book|last=Lal|first=Deepak |title=The Hindu Equilibrium: India c.1500 B.C. – 2000 A.D.|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199275793|year=2004|page=314}}</ref> Gandhi proceeded to abrogate the Janata Party government's Five-Year Plan in 1980 and launched the Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–85). The government targeted an average growth of 5.2% over the period of the plan.<ref name="Growth statistics"/> Measures to check the inflation were also taken; by the early 1980s inflation was under control at an annual rate of about 5%.<ref name="Lal"/> Although Gandhi continued professing socialist beliefs, the Sixth Five-Year Plan was markedly different from the years of [[Garibi Hatao]]. Populist programs and policies were replaced by pragmatism.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}} There was an emphasis on tightening public expenditures, greater efficiency of the [[state-owned enterprise]]s (SOE), which Gandhi qualified as a "sad thing", and in stimulating the private sector through deregulation and liberation of the capital market.<ref name="Waterbury">{{cite book|first=John|last=Waterbury|title=Exposed to Innumerable Delusions: Public Enterprise and State Power in Egypt, India, Mexico, and Turkey|location=|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1993|page=58|isbn=978-0521434973}}</ref> The government subsequently launched ''Operation Forward'' in 1982, the first cautious attempt at reform.<ref name="Rendezvous">{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/sunanda-k-datta-ray-rendezvousronnie/152623/ |title=Sunanda K Datta Ray: Rendezvous with Ronniel |publisher=Business-standard.com |date=12 June 2004 |accessdate=31 July 2013|newspaper=Business Standard India |last1=Ray |first1=Sunanda K. Datta }}</ref> The Sixth Plan went on to become the most successful of the Five-Year Plans yet; showing an average growth of 5.7% over 1980–85.<ref name="Growth statistics"/> ===Inflation and unemployment=== [[File:Oil Prices Since 1861.svg|thumb|The price of oil during the 1970s energy crisis. The graph shows sharp increases in 1973 and again in 1979]] During Lal Bahadur Shastri's last full year in office (1965), inflation averaged 7.7%, compared to 5.2% at the end of Gandhi's first stint in office (1977).<ref name="inflation">Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy; ''Basic Statistics Relating to the Indian Economy''. Economic Intelligence Service. August 1993.</ref> On average, inflation in India had remained below 7% through the 1950s and 1960s.<ref name="Kapila">{{cite book|last=Kapila|first=Uma |title=Indian Economy Since Independence|publisher=Academic Foundation|isbn=978-8171887088|year=2009|page=838}}</ref> But, it then accelerated sharply in the 1970s, from 5.5% in 1970–71 to over 20% by 1973–74, due to the [[1973 oil crisis|international oil crisis]].<ref name="inflation"/> Gandhi declared inflation the gravest of problems in 1974 (at 25.2%) and devised a severe anti-inflation program. The government was successful in bringing down inflation during the emergency; achieving negative figures of −1.1% by the end of 1975–76.<ref name="Harley"/><ref name="inflation"/> Gandhi inherited a tattered economy in her second term; harvest failures and a [[1979 energy crisis|second oil shock]] in the late 1970s had again caused inflation to rise.<ref name="Harley"/> During [[Charan Singh]]'s short reign in office in the second half of 1979, inflation averaged 18.2%, compared to 6.5% during Gandhi's last year in office (1984).<ref name="Lal"/><ref name="inflation"/> General economic recovery under Gandhi led to an average inflation at 6.5% from 1981–82 to 1985–86; the lowest since the beginning of India's inflation problems in the 1960s.<ref name="Kapila"/> Unemployment stayed constant at 9% over a nine-year period (1971–80) before declining to 8.3% in 1983.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=60-72}}<ref name=" Chandhoke">{{Cite book | publisher = Pearson | page = 60|url={{Google books|bVHHyAs6tdwC|page=PA60|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-8131719299 | last = Chandhoke | first = Neera |author2=Praveen Priyadarshi | title = Contemporary India: Economy, Society, Politics | year = 2009 }}</ref> ==Domestic policy== ===Nationalisation=== Despite the provisions, control and regulations of [[Reserve Bank of India]], most banks in India had continued to be owned and operated by private persons.<ref name="Gomez">{{cite book|first=Clifford|last=Gomez|title=Financial Markets Institutions And Financial Services |location=|publisher=PHI|year=2008|page=283|isbn=978-8120335370}}</ref> Businessmen who owned the banks were often accused of channeling the deposits into their own companies, and ignoring the [[Priority sector lending|priority sector]]. Furthermore, there was a great resentment against ''class'' banking in India, which had left the poor (the majority population) [[unbanked]].<ref name="Off the record">{{cite news|author=Akshat Kaushal|url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/offrecord/436974/ |title=Off the record |publisher=Business-standard.com |date=28 May 2011 |accessdate=31 July 2013|newspaper=Business Standard India }}</ref> After becoming Prime Minister, Gandhi expressed the intention of nationalising the banks in a paper titled, ''"Stray thoughts on Bank Nationalisation"'' in order to alleviate poverty.<ref name="Muralidharan1">{{cite book|last=Muralidharan|title=Modern Banking: Theory And Practice |location=|publisher=PHI|year=2009|page=364|isbn=978-8120336551}}</ref> The paper received the overwhelming support of the public.<ref name="Muralidharan1"/> In 1969, Gandhi moved to nationalise fourteen major commercial banks. After the nationalisation of banks, the branches of the public sector banks in India rose to approximate 800 percent in deposits, and advances took a huge jump by 11,000 percent.<ref name="Muralidharan2">{{cite book|last=Muralidharan|title=Modern Banking: Theory And Practice |location=|publisher=PHI|year=2009|page=4|isbn=978-8120336551}}</ref> Nationalisation also resulted in a significant growth in the geographical coverage of banks; the number of bank branches rose from 8,200 to over 62,000, most of which were opened in the unbanked, rural areas. The nationalization drive not only helped to increase household savings, but it also provided considerable investments in the informal sector, in small and medium-sized enterprises, and in agriculture, and contributed significantly to regional development and to the expansion of India's industrial and agricultural base.<ref name="Singh">{{cite book|first=Kavaljit|last=Singh|title=Questioning Globalization |location=|publisher=Zed Books|year=2005|page=45|isbn=978-1842772799}}</ref> [[Jayaprakash Narayan]], who became famous for leading the opposition to Gandhi in the 1970s, was solid in his praise for her bank nationalisations.<ref name="Off the record"/> Having been re-elected in 1971 on a nationalisation platform, Gandhi proceeded to nationalise the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles, and insurance industries.<ref name="Rosser"/> Most of these nationalisations were made to protect employment and the interest of the organised labour.<ref name="Rosser"/> The remaining private sector industries were placed under strict regulatory control.<ref name="Rosser"/> During the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971]], foreign-owned private oil companies had refused to supply fuel to the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. In response, Gandhi nationalised oil companies in 1973.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=|first=|date=4 July 2015|title=Energy Geopolitics – An Overview|url=http://greatgameindia.com/energy-geopolitics-an-overview/|journal=GreatGameIndia Magazine|issue=July–Sept 2015 issue|doi=|pmid=|access-date=}}</ref> After nationalisation the oil majors such as the [[Indian Oil Corporation]] (IOC), the [[Hindustan Petroleum|Hindustan Petroleum Corporation]] (HPCL) and the [[Bharat Petroleum|Bharat Petroleum Corporation]] (BPCL) had to keep a minimum stock level of oil, to be supplied to the military when needed.<ref>{{cite book|first=Ved |last=Luthra|title=Poverty And Economic Reforms|location=New Delhi|publisher=Sarup & Sons|year=2005|page=293|isbn=978-8178901367}}</ref> ===Administration=== [[File:Territorial evolution of India 1961–1975.png|thumb|upright=2.2|Administrative divisions of India 1961–1975. Gandhi established six states, [[Haryana]] (1966), [[Himachal Pradesh]] (1971), [[Meghalaya]], [[Manipur]] and [[Tripura]] (all 1972), and finally [[Sikkim]] (1975), bringing up the total of states to 22. She also established [[Arunachal Pradesh]] and [[Mizoram]] (1972) as Union Territories]] In 1966, Gandhi [[Punjabi Suba movement|accepted the demands]] of the [[Shiromani Akali Dal|Akalis]] to reorganize [[Punjab, India|Punjab]] on linguistic lines. The [[Hindi]]-speaking southern half of Punjab became a separate state, [[Haryana]], while the [[Pahari languages|Pahari]] speaking hilly areas in the north east were joined to [[Himachal Pradesh]].{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=302}} In doing so, she had hoped to ward off [[Punjabi Suba movement|the growing political conflict]] between [[Hindu]] and [[Sikh]] groups in the region.{{sfn|Gupte|2012|p=302}} However, a contentious issue that was considered unresolved by the Akalis was the status of [[Chandigarh]], a prosperous city on the Punjab-Haryana border, which Gandhi declared a union territory to be shared as a capital by both the states.<ref name="Pletcher">{{cite book|first= Kenneth|last=Pletcher|title=The History of India|location=|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|year=2010|page=315|isbn=978-1615302017}}</ref> Victory over Pakistan in 1971 consolidated Indian power in Kashmir. Gandhi indicated that she would make no major concessions on Kashmir. The most prominent of the Kashmiri separatists, [[Sheikh Abdullah]], had to recognize India's control over Kashmir in light of the new order in South Asia. The situation was normalized in the years following the war after Abdullah [[1975 Indira–Sheikh accord|agreed to an accord]] with Gandhi, by giving up the demand for a plebiscite in return for a [[Article 370 of the Constitution of India|special autonomous status for Kashmir]]. In 1975, Gandhi declared the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir]] as a constituent unit of India. The Kashmir conflict remained largely peaceful if frozen under Gandhi's premiership.<ref>{{cite book|first=Jayanta|last=Kumar Ray|title=Aspects of India's International Relations, 1700 to 2000: South Asia and the World|location=|publisher=Pearson|year=2007|page=493|isbn=978-8131708347}}</ref> In 1972, Gandhi granted statehood to [[Meghalaya]], [[Manipur]] and [[Tripura]], while the [[North-East Frontier Agency]] was declared a union territory and renamed [[Arunachal Pradesh]]. The transition to statehood for these territories was successfully overseen by her administration.<ref name="Chandra 2007b"/> This was followed by the annexation of [[Sikkim]] in 1975.{{sfn|Malik|1988|p=120-121}} ===Social reform=== The principle of equal pay for equal work for both men and women was enshrined in the Indian Constitution under the Gandhi administration.<ref name="Sarkar ">{{Cite book | publisher = Indiana University Press | page = 490|url={{Google books|GEPYbuzOwcQC|page=PA490|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0253352699 | last = Sarkar | first = Sumit |author2=Tanika Sarkar | title = Women and Social Reform in Modern India: A Reader | year = 2008 }}</ref> Gandhi questioned the continued existence of a [[Privy Purse in India|privy purse]] for former rulers of [[princely state]]s. She argued the case for abolition based on equal rights for all citizens and the need to reduce the government's revenue deficit. The nobility responded by rallying around the [[Bharatiya Jana Sangh|Jana Sangh]] and other right-wing parties that stood in opposition to Gandhi's attempts to abolish royal privileges.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> The motion to abolish privy purses, and the official recognition of the titles, was originally brought before the [[Parliament of India|Parliament]] in 1970. It was passed in the [[Lok Sabha]] but felt short of the two-thirds majority in the [[Rajya Sabha]] by a single vote.{{sfn|Jayakar|1997|p=214}} Gandhi responded by having a [[Presidential proclamation]] issued; de-recognizing the princes; with this withdrawal of recognition, their claims to privy purses were also legally lost.{{sfn|Jayakar|1997|p=214}} However, the proclamation was struck down by the [[Supreme Court of India]].{{sfn|Jayakar|1997|p=214}} In 1971, Gandhi again motioned to abolish the privy purse. This time, it was successfully passed as the [[List of amendments of the Constitution of India|26th Amendment to the Constitution of India]].<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> Many royals tried to protest the abolition of the privy purse, primarily through campaigns to contest seats in elections. They, however, received a final setback when many of them were defeated by huge margins.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Gandhi claimed that only "clear vision, iron will and the strictest discipline" can remove poverty.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> She justified the imposition of the state of emergency in 1975 in the name of the socialist mission of the Congress.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> Armed with the power to rule by decree and without constitutional constraints, Gandhi embarked on a massive redistribution program.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> The provisions included rapid enforcement of land ceilings, housing for landless labourers, the abolition of bonded labour and a moratorium on the debts of the poor.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> North India was at the centre of the reforms; millions of acres of land were acquired and redistributed.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> The government was also successful in procuring houses for landless labourers; according to [[Francine Frankel|Frankel]], three-fourths of the targeted four million houses was achieved in 1975 alone.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> Nevertheless, others have disputed the success of the program and criticized Gandhi for not doing enough to reform land ownership. The political economist, Jyotindra Das Gupta, cryptically questioned "...whether or not the real supporters of land-holders were in jail or in power?"<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> Critics also accused Gandhi of choosing to "talk left and act right", referring to her concurrent pro-business decisions and endeavours.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> [[J. Barkley Rosser Jr.|Rosser]] wrote that "some have even seen the declaration of emergency rule in 1975 as a move to suppress dissent against Gandhi's policy shift to the right."<ref name="Rosser"/> Regardless of the controversy over the nature of the reforms, the long-term effects of the social changes gave rise to prominence of middle-ranking farmers from intermediate and lower castes in North India.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> The rise of these newly empowered social classes challenged the political establishment of the [[Hindi Belt]] in the years to come.<ref name="Jaffrelot"/> ===Language policy=== Under the [[Constitution of India]] of 1950, Hindi was to have become the official national language by 1965. This was not acceptable to many non-Hindi speaking states, who wanted the continued use of English in government. In 1967, Gandhi made a constitutional amendment that guaranteed the de facto use of both Hindi and English as official languages. This established the official government policy of bilingualism in India and satisfied the non-Hindi speaking Indian states.<ref name="Steinberg"/> Gandhi thus put herself forward as a leader with a pan-Indian vision.<ref name="Chandra 2007">{{Cite book | publisher = Penguin Books India | page = 122|url={{Google books|dE9qEg-NgHMC|page=PA122|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0143104094 | last = Chandra | first = Bipan |author2=Aditya Mukherjee |author3=Mridula Mukherjee | title = India Since Independence | year = 2008 }}</ref> Nevertheless, critics alleged that her stance was actually meant to weaken the position of rival Congress leaders from the northern states such as [[Uttar Pradesh]], where there had been strong, sometimes violent, pro-Hindi agitations.<ref name="Steinberg"/> Gandhi came out of the language conflicts with the strong support of the south Indian populace.<ref name="Chandra 2007"/> ===National security=== In the late 1960s and 1970s, Gandhi had the Indian army crush [[Naxalite#Violence in West Bengal|militant Communist uprisings]] in the Indian state of [[West Bengal]].<ref name="Hamlet">{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/news/hamlet-and-the-naxals-news-defence-jgsnxMbjcdh.html |title=Hamlet and the Naxals |publisher=Sify.com |accessdate=31 July 2013}}</ref> The communist insurgency in India was completely suppressed during the [[The Emergency (India)|state of emergency]].<ref name="Naxalites">[http://www.watershed.com.br/article/208/naxalites-who-are-they-and-what-are-their-demands.aspx Naxalites: who are they and what are their demands?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602111341/http://www.watershed.com.br/article/208/naxalites-who-are-they-and-what-are-their-demands.aspx |date=2 June 2013 }}</ref><ref name="History">{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/NM2/History-of-Naxalism/Article1-6545.aspx |title=History of Naxalism |publisher=Hindustantimes.com |date=15 December 2005 |accessdate=31 July 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722091758/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/NM2/History-of-Naxalism/Article1-6545.aspx |archivedate=22 July 2013 }}</ref><ref name="break">{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/indira-gandhi-used-army-to-break-naxals-retired-general-30840 |title=Indira Gandhi used Army to break Naxals: Retired General |publisher=Ndtv.com |date=10 June 2010 |accessdate=31 July 2013}}</ref> Gandhi considered the [[Northeast India|north-eastern regions]] important, because of its strategic situation.<ref>{{cite book|first=Indira|last=Gandhi|title=Selected Thoughts of Indira Gandhi: A Book of Quotes|location=|publisher=Mittal Publications|year=1985|page=224|isbn=}}</ref> In 1966, the [[March 1966 Mizo National Front uprising|Mizo uprising]] took place against the government of India and overran almost the whole of the [[Mizoram|Mizoram region]]. Gandhi ordered the [[Indian Army]] to launch massive retaliatory strikes in response. The rebellion was suppressed with the [[Indian Air Force]] even carrying out airstrikes in [[Aizawl]]; this remains the only instance of India carrying out an airstrike in its own civilian territory.<ref name="Chandra 2007b">{{Cite book | publisher = Penguin Books India | pages = 146–147|url={{Google books|dE9qEg-NgHMC|page=PA147|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0143104094 | last = Chandra | first = Bipan |author2=Aditya Mukherjee |author3=Mridula Mukherjee | title = India Since Independence | year = 2008 }}</ref><ref name="rediff_iaf">{{cite web |url=http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/aug/03/slide-show-1-special-dont-bomb-the-naxals.htm#6| title = Don't bomb the Naxals!: IAF last strafed Indian territory in 1966 | publisher =[[Rediff.com]] | date = 5 August 2010 | accessdate = 27 December 2012 }}</ref> The defeat of Pakistan in 1971 and the secession of East Pakistan as pro-India Bangladesh led to the collapse of the Mizo separatist movement. In 1972, after the less extremist Mizo leaders came to the negotiating table, Gandhi upgraded Mizoram to the status of a union territory. A small-scale insurgency by some militants continued into the late 1970s but was successfully dealt with by the government.<ref name="Chandra 2007b"/> The Mizo conflict was [[Mizo Accord|definitively resolved]] during the administration of Gandhi's son [[Rajiv Gandhi|Rajiv]]. Today, [[Mizoram]] is considered as one of the most peaceful states in the north-east.<ref name="Stepan">{{Cite book | publisher = JHU Press | page = 105|url={{Google books|kGUuOdeCiXQC|page=PA105|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0801897238 | last = Stepan | first = Alfred |author2=Juan J. Linz |author3=Yogendra Yadav | title = Crafting State-Nations: India and Other Multinational Democracies | year = 2011 }}</ref> Responding to the insurgency in [[Nagaland]], Gandhi "unleashed a powerful military offensive" in the 1970s.<ref name="Das">{{Cite book | publisher = Sage | page = 207|url={{Google books|4bY27nAdkocC|page=PA207|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|isbn=978-0761933915 | last = Das | first = Samir | title = Peace Processes and Peace Accords | year = 2005 }}</ref> Finally, a massive crackdown on the insurgents took place during the [[The Emergency (India)|state of emergency]] ordered by Gandhi. The insurgents soon agreed to surrender and signed the [[Shillong Accord of 1975|Shillong Accord]] in 1975.<ref name="R1">{{cite web |url= http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/nagaland/documents/papers/nagaland_accord_the_shillong_nov_11_1975.htm |title= Nagaland Accord – The Shillong Agreement of November 11, 1975 |quote= representatives of the underground organisations met the Governor of Nagaland, Shri L.P. Singh representing the Government of India, at Shillong on 10th and 11th November, 1975.|publisher= satp.org/ |accessdate= 27 December 2012 }}</ref> While the agreement was considered a victory for the Indian government and ended large-scale conflicts,<ref name="R3">{{cite web|url=http://nagaland.nic.in/profile/history/peace.htm |title=Dawn of Peace in Nagaland – SHILLONG ACCORD |quote=the historic "Shillong" signed at Shillong on November 11, 1975, by the Governor of Nagaland Mr. L.P Singh representing the Government of India and the underground leadership represented by Mr. Assa and Mr. Kevi Yalley |publisher=nagaland.nic.in |accessdate=27 April 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314113027/http://nagaland.nic.in/profile/history/peace.htm |archivedate=14 March 2012 }}</ref> there has since been spurts of violence by [[National Socialist Council of Nagaland|rebel holdouts]] and [[Ethnic conflict in Nagaland|ethnic conflict amongst the tribes]].<ref name="R3"/> ===Nuclear Program of India=== {{Main|India and weapons of mass destruction|Smiling Buddha}} {{Unreferenced section|date=September 2017}} Gandhi contributed and further carried out the vision of [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], former Premier of India to develop the program. Gandhi authorised the development of nuclear weapons in 1967, in response to the ''[[Test No. 6]]'' by People's Republic of China. Gandhi saw this test as Chinese nuclear intimidation, therefore, Gandhi promoted the views of Nehru to establish India's stability and security interests as independent from those of the nuclear superpowers.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} The program became fully mature in 1974, when Dr. [[Raja Ramanna]] reported to Gandhi that India had the ability to test its first nuclear weapon. Gandhi gave verbal authorisation of this [[nuclear testing|test]], and preparations were made in a long-constructed army base, the [[Indian Army]] [[Pokhran Test Range]]. In 1974, India successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, unofficially code named as "''[[Smiling Buddha]]''", near the desert village of [[Pokhran]] in Rajasthan. As the world was quiet by this test, a vehement protest came forward from Pakistan. Great ire was raised in Pakistan and its Prime Minister, [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto]], described this test as "''Indian hegemony''" to intimidate Pakistan. In response to this [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Bhutto]] launched a massive campaign all over the Pakistan to make Pakistan a nuclear power. In these campaigns [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Bhutto]] asked the nation to get united and great slogans were raised such as ''hum ghaas aur pattay kha lay gay magar nuclear power ban k rhe gay (We will eat grass or leaves even go hungry but will get nuclear power)''. Gandhi directed a letter to [[Zulfikar Ali Bhutto|Bhutto]] and, later to the world, describing the test for [[Peaceful nuclear explosion|peaceful purposes]] and India's commitment to develop its programme for industrial and scientific use.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} ==Family, personal life and outlook== [[File:Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.jpg|thumb|Indira Gandhi, [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], [[Rajiv Gandhi]] and [[Sanjay Gandhi]]]] [[File:Feroze and Indira Gandhi.JPG|thumb|alt=Personal Life|Portrait of [[Feroze Gandhi|Feroze]] and Indira Gandhi]] She married [[Feroze Gandhi]] at the age of 25, in 1942. Their marriage lasted 18 years, until Feroze died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in 1960. They had two sons – [[Rajiv Gandhi|Rajiv]] (b. 1944) and [[Sanjay Gandhi|Sanjay]] (b. 1946). Her younger son Sanjay had initially been her chosen heir; but after his death in a flying accident in June 1980, Gandhi persuaded her reluctant elder son Rajiv to quit his job as a pilot and enter politics in February 1981. Rajiv took office as [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]] following his mother's [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassination]] in 1984; he served until December 1989. Rajiv Gandhi himself was assassinated by a suicide bomber working on behalf of [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|LTTE]] on 21 May 1991.<ref>''State of Tamil Nadu through Superintendent of Police, CBI/SIT vs. Nalini & 25 Ors.'', Death Ref. Case No. 1 of 1998 (@ D.No.1151 of 1998) per [http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf K.T. Thomas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102222525/http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf |date=2 November 2011 }}, para. 163</ref> Gandhi's yoga guru, [[Dhirendra Brahmachari]], helped her in making certain decisions and also executed certain top level political tasks on her behalf, especially from 1975 to 1977 when Gandhi "declared a state of emergency and suspended civil liberties."<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/10/obituaries/dhirendra-brahmachari-yoga-master-70.html Dhirendra Brahmachari, Yoga Master, 7], ''The New York Times'', 10 June 1994</ref><ref>[http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?211174 Mrs G's String of Beaus], Outlook India, 26 March 2001</ref> In January 2017, a woman called Priya Singh Paul claimed to be Indira's granddaughter as Sanjay Gandhi's biological daughter. She claims that she was given away for adoption because Indira Gandhi hid her as a child and her mother as a wife of Sanjay Gandhi for political reasons.<ref>{{cite news|title=Priya Singh Paul claimed to be Daughter of Sanjay Gandhi|url=http://www.patrika.com/news/ludhiana/priya-singh-paul-claimed-to-be-daughter-of-sanjay-gandhi-1484774/|accessdate=6 July 2017|date=10 January 2017}}</ref> ==Views on women== In 1952 in a letter to her American friend Dorothy Norman, Gandhi wrote: "I am in no sense a feminist, but I believe in women being able to do everything...Given the opportunity to develop, capable Indian women have come to the top at once." While this statement appears paradoxical, it reflects Gandhi's complex feelings toward her gender and feminism.<ref name="Norman, Dorothy 1985">Norman, Dorothy. Indira Gandhi, Letters to an American Friend. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. Print. 20.</ref> Her egalitarian upbringing with her cousins helped contribute to her sense of natural equality. "Flying kites, climbing trees, playing marbles with her boy cousins, Indira said she hardly knew the difference between a boy and a girl until the age of twelve."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jayakar|first1=Pupul|title=Indira Gandhi, a biography|date=1995|publisher=Penguin|location=New Delhi, India|isbn=978-0140114621|page=265|edition=Rev.|url={{Google books|gm5JGkb2rhkC|page=PR9|keywords=feminist|text=|plainurl=yes}}}}</ref><ref>Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi: An Intimate Biography. New York: Pantheon, 1992. Print. 64.</ref> Indira Gandhi did not often discuss her gender, but she did involve herself in women's issues before becoming the prime minister. Before her election as the Prime Minister, she became active in the organizational wing of the Congress party, working in part in the Women's Department.<ref>Genovese, Michael A., ed. Women As National Leaders. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. Print. 109.</ref> In 1956, Gandhi had an active role in setting up the Congress Party's Women's Section.<ref name="ReferenceA">Norman, Dorothy. Indira Gandhi, Letters to an American Friend. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. Print. 30.</ref> Unsurprisingly, a lot of her involvement stemmed from her father. As an only child, Gandhi naturally stepped into the political light. And, as a woman, Gandhi naturally helped head the Women's section of the Congress Party. She often tried to organize women to involve themselves in politics.{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2017}} Although rhetorically Gandhi may have attempted to separate her political success from her gender, Gandhi did involve herself in women's organizations. The political parties in India paid substantial attention to Gandhi's gender before she became prime minister, hoping to use her for political gain{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2017}}. Even though men surrounded Gandhi during her upbringing, she still had a female role model as a child. Several books on Gandhi mention her interest in Joan of Arc. In her own accounts through her letters she wrote to her friend Dorothy Norman, in 1952 she wrote: "At about eight or nine I was taken to France; Jeanne d'Arc became a great heroine of mine. She was one of the first people I read about with enthusiasm."<ref>Norman, Dorothy. Indira Gandhi, Letters to an American Friend. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. Print. 12.</ref> Another historian recounts Indira's comparison of herself to Joan of Arc: "Indira developed a fascination for Joan of Arc, telling her aunt, 'Someday I am going to lead my people to freedom just as Joan of Arc did!{{' "}}<ref>Genovese, Michael A., ed. Women As National Leaders. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. Print. 107.</ref> Gandhi's linking of herself to Joan of Arc presents a nice model for historians to assess Gandhi. As one writer said: "The Indian people were her children; members of her family were the only people capable of leading them."<ref>Genovese, Michael A., ed. Women As National Leaders. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. Print. 131.</ref> Gandhi had been swept up in the call for Indian independence since she was born in 1917.<ref>"Indira Gandhi." About Indira Gandhi. Web. 20 November 2012. <http://www.indiragandhi.com/aboutindiragandhi.htm>.</ref> Thus by 1947 she was already well immersed in politics, and by 1966, when she first assumed the position of prime minister, she had held several cabinet positions in her father's office.{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2017}} Gandhi's advocacy for women's rights began with her help in establishing the Congress Party's Women's Section.{{citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2017}} In 1956, she wrote in a letter: "It is because of this that I am taking a much more active part in politics. I have to do a great deal of touring in order to set up the Congress Party Women's Section, and am on numerous important committees."<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Gandhi spent a great deal of time throughout the 1950s helping organize women. She wrote to Norman in 1959, irritable that women had organized around the communist cause but had not mobilized for the Indian cause: "The women, whom I have been trying to organize for years, had always refused to come into politics. Now they are out in the field."<ref>Norman, Dorothy. Indira Gandhi, Letters to an American Friend. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985. Print. 57.</ref> Once appointed president in 1959, she "travelled relentlessly, visiting remote parts of the country that had never before received a VIP...she talked to women, asked about child health and welfare, inquired after the crafts of the region"<ref>Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi: An Intimate Biography. New York: Pantheon, 1992. Print. 112.</ref> Gandhi's actions throughout her ascent to power clearly reflect a desire to mobilize women{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=August 2017}}. Gandhi did not see the purpose of feminism. Gandhi saw her own success as a woman, and also noted that "Given the opportunity to develop, capable Indian women have come to the top at once."<ref name="Norman, Dorothy 1985"/> Gandhi felt guilty about her inability to fully devote her time to her children. She noted that her main problem in office was how to balance her political duties with tending to her children, and "stressed that motherhood was the most important part of her life."<ref>Genovese, Michael A., ed. Women As National Leaders. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, 1993. Print. 127.</ref> At another point, she went into more detail: "To a woman, motherhood is the highest fulfilment...To bring a new being into this world, to see its perfection and to dream of its future greatness is the most moving of all experiences and fills one with wonder and exaltation."<ref>Malhotra, Inder. Indira Gandhi: A Personal and Political Biography. Boston: Northeastern UP, 1989. Print. 55.</ref> Her domestic initiatives did not necessarily reflect favourably on Indian women. Gandhi did not make a special effort to appoint women to cabinet positions. She did not appoint any women to full cabinet rank during her terms in office.<ref name="Genovese, Michael A. 1993"/> Yet despite this, many women saw Gandhi as a symbol for feminism and an image of women's power.<ref name="Genovese, Michael A. 1993"/> ==Awards== After leading India to victory against Pakistan in the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971, Prime Minister (Mrs. Indira Gandhi) recommended & President [[V. V. Giri]] awarded Mrs. Gandhi India's highest civilian honour, the [[Bharat Ratna]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2007) |url=http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Home affairs |accessdate=26 November 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304070427/http://mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf |archivedate=4 March 2009 }}</ref><ref>Shankar, A. (1987). Indira Priyadarshini. Children's Book Trust, page 95.</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Awards earned, awards fixed?|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/19/stories/2003011900251600.htm|accessdate=24 January 2015|newspaper=The Hindu|date=19 January 2003}}</ref> ==Foreign Honours== In 2011, the [[Bangladesh Freedom Honour]] (Bangladesh Swadhinata Sammanona), Bangladesh's highest civilian award, was posthumously conferred on Indira Gandhi for her "outstanding contributions" to Bangladesh's Liberation War.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bangladesh-honours-indira-gandhi-with-highest-award/article2293016.ece|title=Bangladesh honours Indira Gandhi with highest award|work=The Hindu|access-date=21 July 2017|language=en}}</ref> ==Legacy== [[File:Indira Gandhi wax figure from london madame tussauds.jpg|thumb|upright|Indira Gandhi's wax statue at [[Madame Tussauds]], London]] Indira Gandhi's main legacy was standing firm in face of American pressure to defeat Pakistan and turn [[East Pakistan]] into independent Bangladesh.<ref name="ahsgjxajtu0c244"/> She was also responsible for India joining the group of [[countries with nuclear weapons]].{{clarify|date=October 2017}} Despite India being officially part of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], she gave Indian foreign policy a tilt towards the [[Soviet bloc]].<ref name="British Academic Press"/> In 2012, Gandhi was ranked number 7 in [[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook India's]] poll of [[the Greatest Indian]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/a-measure-of-the-man/281949 | title=A Measure of the Man}}</ref> Being at the forefront of Indian politics for decades, Gandhi left a powerful but controversial legacy on Indian politics. The main legacy of her rule was destroying internal party democracy in the Congress party. Her detractors accuse her of weakening State chief ministers and thereby weakening the federal structure, weakening independence of judiciary, and weakening her cabinet by vesting power in her secretariat and her sons.{{POV check inline|date=October 2017}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Jannuzi|first1=F. Tomasson|title=India in transition : issues of political economy in a plural society|date=1989|publisher=Westview Press|location=Boulder|isbn=9780813377230|page=9|url={{Google books|R7IMtFL5kdMC|page=PR9|keywords=indira|text=|plainurl=yes}}|accessdate=14 September 2017}}</ref> Gandhi is also associated with fostering a culture of [[nepotism]] in Indian politics and in India's institutions.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://but.unitbv.ro/BU2009/BULETIN2009/Series%20IV/BULETIN%20IV%20PDF/08_Campu_A.pdf|journal=Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov. Series IV: Philology and Cultural Studies|volume=2|issue=51|page=47|year=2009|title=History as a marker of otherness in Rohinton Mistry's "A fine balance"|author=Adina Campu|access-date=27 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812234207/http://but.unitbv.ro/BU2009/BULETIN2009/Series%20IV/BULETIN%20IV%20PDF/08_Campu_A.pdf|archive-date=12 August 2011|dead-url=yes}}</ref> She is also almost singularly associated with the period of Emergency rule and the dark period in Indian Democracy that it entailed.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rajgarhia|first1=Mahak|title=40 years on, 7 things you need to know about Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-39-years-on-7-things-you-need-to-know-about-emergency-imposed-by-indira-gandhi-1997782|accessdate=1 July 2015|work=Daily News and Analysis|date=25 June 2014}}</ref> The Congress party was a "broad church" during the independence movement; however, it started turning into a family firm controlled by Indira Gandhi's family during [[The Emergency (India)|the emergency]].This was characterized by servility and sycophancy towards the family which later turned into hereditary succession of Gandhi family members to power.<ref name="Bose2013">{{cite book|author=Sumantra Bose|title=Transforming India|url={{Google books|reiwAAAAQBAJ|page=PP8|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}}|date=16 September 2013|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-72819-6|pages=28–29}}</ref> Her actions in [[Operation Blue Star|storming the Golden Temple]] alienated Sikhs for a very long time.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Ghosts of Khalistan|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/the-ghosts-of-khalistan/article3975081.ece|accessdate=1 July 2015|work=The Hindu|date=8 October 2012}}</ref> One of her legacies is supposed to be the systematic corruption of all parts of India's government from the executive to the judiciary due to her sense of insecurity.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McDonald|first1=. Hamish|title=Mahabharat in Polyester|date=2010|publisher=Univ. Of New South Wales Press|location=Australia|chapter=Ch.5 - A first-class fountain|isbn=9781742231587}}</ref> Although the Maruti Udyog company was first established by Gandhi's son, Sanjay, it was under Indira that the then nationalized company came to prominence.<ref name="orfonline69"/> She remains the only woman ever to occupy the office of the Prime Minister of India.<ref>{{cite web|title=This day in history: Jan 19 1966 Indira Gandhi becomes Indian prime minister|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/indira-gandhi-becomes-indian-prime-minister|website=history.com|accessdate=1 July 2015}}</ref> ==Posthumous honours== {{See also|List of things named after Indira Gandhi}} *The southernmost [[Indira Point]] (6.74678°N 93.84260°E) is named after Gandhi. *The [[Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana|Indira Awaas Yojana]], a central government low-cost housing programme for the rural poor, was named after her. *The international airport at New Delhi is named [[Indira Gandhi International Airport]] in her honour. *The [[Indira Gandhi National Open University]], the largest university in the world, is also named after her. *[[Indian National Congress]] established the annual [[Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration]] in 1985, given in her memory on her death anniversary. *The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust also constituted the annual [[Indira Gandhi Prize]]. ==See also== {{portal|Biography|Politics|India}} * [[Massa Ranghar]] * [[List of assassinated Indian politicians]] * [[List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government]] * [[:Category:Indira Gandhi administration]] ==References== ===Notes=== {{notelist|30em}} {{reflist|group=note}} ===References=== {{Reflist|30em}} ===Sources=== {{Refbegin}} *{{cite book|last=Skard|first=Torild|author-link=Torild Skard|year=2014|chapter= Indira Gandhi |title=Women of Power: Half a Century of Female Presidents and Prime Ministers Worldwide|location=Bristol|publisher=Policy Press|isbn=9781447315780}} * {{Cite book | author = Barbara Somervill | title = Indira Gandhi: Political Leader in India | publisher = Capstone Publishers | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0756518851 | ref = CITEREFMalik2007| authorlink = }} * {{Cite book | author = Katherine Frank | title = Indira: the life of Indira Nehru Gandhi | publisher = HarperCollins | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-0007372508 | ref = CITEREFFrank2010| authorlink = }} * {{Cite book | author = Meena Agrawal | title = Indira Gandhi | publisher = Diamond Pocket Books | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-81-288-0901-9 | ref = CITEREFAgrawa2005| authorlink = }} * {{Cite book | author = Pranay Gupte | title = Mother India: A Political Biography of Indira Gandhi | publisher = Penguin Books| year = 2012 | isbn = 978-0143068266 | ref = CITEREFGupte2012| authorlink = }} * {{Cite book | author = Pupul Jayakar| title = Indira Gandhi: A Biography | publisher = Penguin Books | year = 1997 | isbn = 978-0140114621 | ref = CITEREFJayakar1997| authorlink = }} * {{Cite book | author = Yogendra Kumar Malik | title = India: The Years of Indira Gandhi | publisher = Brill Publishers | year = 1988 | isbn = 978-9004086814 | ref = CITEREFMalik1988| authorlink = }} {{Refend}} ==Further reading== {{Refbegin}} * [[Ved Mehta]], ''A Family Affair: India Under Three Prime Ministers'' (1982) {{ISBN|0-19-503118-0}} * [[Pupul Jayakar]], ''Indira Gandhi: An Intimate Biography'' (1992) {{ISBN|978-0-679-42479-6}} * [[Ramachandra Guha]], ''India after Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy'' (2007) {{ISBN|978-0-06-019881-7}} * Inder Malhotra, ''Indira Gandhi: A personal and political biography'' (1991) {{ISBN|0-340-53548-2}} * [[Arun Shourie|Shourie, Arun]] (1984). Mrs Gandhi's second reign. New Delhi: Vikas. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160101041543/http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/11/18/indira-gandhi-iron-lady-india Indira Gandhi – Iron Lady of India by Dr Sulakshi Thelikorala] * [[Midnight's Children]], Salman Rushdie {{Refend}} ==External links== {{sisterlinks|d=Q1149|commons=Category:Indira Gandhi|s=author:Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|wikt=no}} * {{dmoz|Regional/Asia/India/Society_and_Culture/History/Personalities/Gandhi%2C_Indira}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110212155550/http://www.india-intro.com/jawaharlal-nehru-and-indira-gandhi.html Rare pictures of Indira Gandhi] * [http://indiragandhi.in/en/philosophy/letters Rare letters by Indira Gandhi] * [http://indiragandhi.in/en/philosophy/speeches Famous and Historic speeches given by Indira Gandhi] * [http://indiragandhi.in/en website of Indira gandhi] {{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[U. N. Dhebar|Uchharangrai Navalshankar Dhebar]]}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the [[Indian National Congress]]|years=1959}} {{s-aft|after=[[Neelam Sanjiva Reddy]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Devakanta Barua]]}} {{s-ttl|title=President of the [[Indian National Congress]]|years=1978–1984}} {{s-aft|after=[[Rajiv Gandhi]]}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[B. V. Keskar]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting]]|years=9 June 1964 - 11 January 1966}} {{s-aft|after=[[Kodardas Kalidas Shah]]}} |- {{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Gulzarilal Nanda]]<br />{{small|Acting}}}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of India]]|years=24 January 1966 – 24 March 1977}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Morarji Desai]]}} |- {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission]]|years=24 January 1966 – 24 March 1977}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[M. C. Chagla|Mahommedali Currim Chagla]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Union Minister of External Affairs]]|years=6 September 1967 - 13 February 1969}} {{s-aft|after=[[Dinesh Singh (Uttar Pradesh politician)|Dinesh Singh]]}} |- {{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Morarji Desai]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Finance (India)|Union Minister of Finance]]|years=16 January 1969 – 15 March 1971}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Yashwantrao Chavan]]}} |- {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Home Affairs (India)|Union Minister of Home Affairs]]|years=27 June 1970 - 4 February 1973}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Swaran Singh]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Defence (India)|Union Minister of Defence]]|years=1 December 1975 - 25 December 1975}} {{s-aft|after=[[Bansi Lal]]}} |- {{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Charan Singh]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of India]]|years=14 January 1980 – 31 October 1984}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Rajiv Gandhi]]}} |- {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission]]|years=14 January 1980 – 31 October 1984}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Chidambaram Subramaniam]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Defence (India)|Union Minister of Defence]]|years=16 January 1980 – 15 January 1982}} {{s-aft|after=[[R. Venkataraman|Ramaswamy Venkataraman]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[P. V. Narasimha Rao|Narasimha Rao]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Union Minister of External Affairs]]|years=19 July 1984 - 31 October 1984}} {{s-aft|after=[[Rajiv Gandhi]]}} {{s-end}} {{Prime Ministers of India}} {{Bharat Ratna}} {{Indian National Congress Presidents}} {{Ministers of Information and Broadcasting}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Indira}} [[Category:Indira Gandhi|*]] [[Category:1917 births]] [[Category:1984 deaths]] [[Category:4th Lok Sabha members]] [[Category:20th-century Indian women]] [[Category:20th-century women rulers]] [[Category:Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford]] [[Category:Assassinated heads of government]] [[Category:Assassinated Indian politicians]] [[Category:Bandung Conference attendees]] [[Category:Children of Prime Ministers of India]] [[Category:People from Raebareli]] [[Category:Deaths by firearm in India]] [[Category:Defence Ministers of India]] [[Category:Female defence ministers]] [[Category:Female foreign ministers]] [[Category:Finance Ministers of India]] [[Category:Indian Hindus]] [[Category:People associated with Santiniketan]] [[Category:Indian socialists]] [[Category:Jawaharlal Nehru Award laureates]] [[Category:Kashmiri people]] [[Category:Lenin Peace Prize recipients]] [[Category:Ministers for External Affairs of India]] [[Category:Ministers for Information and Broadcasting of India]] [[Category:Ministers of Internal Affairs of India]] [[Category:Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh]] [[Category:Lok Sabha members from Karnataka]] [[Category:Lok Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh]] [[Category:Nehru–Gandhi family]] [[Category:People educated at Badminton School]] [[Category:People murdered in Delhi]] [[Category:People of the Emergency (India)]] [[Category:People who died in office]] [[Category:Presidents of the Indian National Congress]] [[Category:Prime Ministers of India]] [[Category:Rajya Sabha members from Uttar Pradesh]] [[Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna]] [[Category:Women members of the Cabinet of India]] [[Category:Women leaders of India]] [[Category:Women members of the Lok Sabha]] [[Category:Women prime ministers]] [[Category:Victims of Sikh terrorism]] [[Category:Assassination of Indira Gandhi]] [[Category:5th Lok Sabha members]] [[Category:6th Lok Sabha members]] [[Category:7th Lok Sabha members]] [[Category:State funerals in India]]'