Essay on Indira Gandhi

500+ Words Essay on Indira Gandhi

In Indian political history, Indira Gandhi was the first and, to date, the only female Prime Minister of India. In India, she is popularly addressed as the ‘Iron Lady of India’. She was the sole face of the Indian National Congress and the daughter of the first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Initially, she worked as an assistant and hostess of her father and was later elected as President of the Indian National Congress and a Member of the Rajya Sabha. Indira Gandhi worked under the cabinet ministry of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. After her father died, she became the Information and Broadcasting Minister. In 1966, after the unexpected death of the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi came to power as the Prime Minister of India. She held the minister’s office for 17 years.

When we talk about Indian Politics, she is still termed one of the most powerful characters. One of her most unforgettable actions was the war against Pakistan during her tenure, which helped Bangladesh get freedom. She even declared an emergency in India, which resulted in her downfall.

On 19th November 1917, Shrimati Indira Gandhi was born at Anand Bhawan in Uttar Pradesh.

She completed her primary education in Allahabad. In 1938, she went to Oxford University in London for higher studies. She received her schooling from various places because her parents constantly shifted from one place to another. In 1942, she married Feroz Gandhi and had two sons, Rajiv and Sanjay. Her husband died in 1960.

During her term as the Prime Minister of India, she helped our country to reach greater heights. In 1920, she took the drastic step of nationalising the banks and abolished the privy purses. In 1971, under her leadership, India won the war against Pakistan. In 1975, when she was in tenure, one crucial decision came to light when opposition parties spoke against the judgment of Justice Sinha. So, to neutralise the effect of the country’s opposition, she declared a national emergency.

The state of emergency resulted in her defeat in 1977. She remained silent for a few years, and in January 1980, she came back as the Prime Minister of India during the midterm poll.

National Emergency in India and Indira Gandhi

After her success, in the war against Pakistan, in 1972, her New Congress Party group succeeded in the State Legislative election. But, the opposition parties filed a case against her, blaming that she violated the election laws.

Unfortunately, in 1975, the High Court gave the verdict against Indira Gandhi. Due to this, she was deprived of a seat and was told to be out of politics for six years. So, she went against the court’s decision and appealed to the Supreme Court. But there, the decision went against Indira Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi made all the opposition party’s leaders imprisoned. She couldn’t accept the decision and imposed the National Emergency. During this period, the Freedom of Expression for the newspaper was abolished.

Many new laws were enacted that limited personal freedoms. She also implemented many infamous rules like large-scale sterilisation as a birth control measure.

Second Term of Indira Gandhi

When she came to power again, she faced many challenges. She became restless as the demand for ‘Khalistan’ was rising, resulting in the attack of the Golden Temple. So, she instructed the army to carry out rescue operations and protect the temple from the terrorists.

Indira Gandhi was a woman with vision, courage and foresight. She was a woman who made history as the Prime Minister of India.

Death of Indira Gandhi

In the early phase of the 1980s, there was building tension regarding the disintegration of India. The other religions, especially Sikhs, threatened to disturb the country’s unity. They started a huge outcry and moved to the Sun Temple in Amritsar to launch an attack against the Government.

Gandhi ordered a military operation in the temple, which resulted in the death of 450 Sikhs. As revenge, she was assassinated in New Delhi inside her garden by her Sikh bodyguard on October 31st, 1984. This event shook the entire nation profoundly.

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