Indira Gandhi Biography for UPSC

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi is an Indian Politician and the first female Prime Minister of India. A descendant of Jawaharlal Nehru, she is the second longest-serving Prime Minister of India and the only female Prime Minister to date. She became the Prime Minister of India thrice between the years 1960 to 1980.

Known for resoluteness, absolute centralisation of power, imperious personality, and iron will, she has helped India sail through the tensions and turmoils of the post-independence period. This article helps us understand her political career and contributions to the development of India in the post-independence period.

This topic has a high chance of being asked as a UPSC Prelims History Question from Modern India.

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Early Life of Indira Gandhi

• Indira Gandhi was born into a Kashmiri Pandit family on November 19, 1917. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, and Kamala Nehru. She was actively involved in the freedom struggle from childhood. As a child, she founded the children’s ‘Bal Charkha Sangh’ and the ‘Vanar Sena’ to support the Congress party during the non-cooperation movement.
• She did her early schooling at Modern School Delhi, the International School of Geneva, and higher studies at the University of Oxford. Owing to her excellent academic background, she received the Citation of Distinction from Columbia University.
• She married Feroze Gandhi in 1942, and the couple had two children, Sanjay and Rajiv.

Indian National Congress

• In 1955, Indira Gandhi became a Working Committee member of the Congress party. She assisted Jawaharlal Nehru during his Prime Ministership and became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1959.
• After the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi got elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha and the Information and Broadcasting Minister of the Lal Bahadur Shastri government.
• After the unexpected demise of Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi was elected the leader of the Congress party.
• Amidst continued challenges within the right-wing section of the party, led by Moraji Desai, she defeated him and became the Prime Minister of India. In the initial phase of her tenure, she received criticism for being a mere puppet in the hands of senior leaders of the party.
• In the 1967 elections, Indira was elected from the Rae Bareli constituency. However, rising tensions within the party culminated in her removal from the party. She managed to retain the majority of Congress MPs by her side and formed a separate faction called the “New Congress”.

Read about the Establishment of the Indian National Congress from the linked article.

Nationalisation of Banks

• On July 19, 1969, Indira Gandhi announced the Nationalisation of 14 commercial banks in India. She implemented Nationalisation, based on the Banking Regulation Act of 1949. This crucial economic policy decision was implemented as the initial step in adopting a socialist pattern in the Indian Economy.
• Another important reason for this decision, which altered the banking sector in India, was the inaccessibility of banking services and credit facilities to the farmers of India and the rural population.
• The poor fiscal condition of India after wars with Pakistan and China, droughts, and lack of public investment also lead to the nationalisation of banks. The banks that were nationalised in 1969 included:

1. Allahabad Bank

2. Bank of India

3. Bank of Maharashtra

4. Central Bank of India

5. Dena Bank

6. Indian Overseas Bank

7. Syndicate Bank,

8. Punjab National Bank,

9. UCO Bank

10. Union Bank,

11. United Bank of India

12. Canara Bank

13. Indian Bank

14. Bank of Baroda

• The advantages of bank nationalisation were;

1. It promoted priority sector lending

2. Reduced regional inequalities and access to banking facilities

3. Reduced poverty in rural areas and aided the green revolution.

Check the answer for What is the Nationalised Bank from here:

Abolition of Privy Purse

• The rulers of the Princely states received payments of ‘privy purse’ under Art.291 and Art.362 of the Indian Constitution. According to Indira Gandhi, the ‘privy purse’ violated equal rights for citizens of India. According to her, it was also necessary to reduce the revenue deficit of the government.
• In 1971, the 26th amendment of the Indian Constitution abolished Privy Purse. Articles 291 and 362 got removed from the constitution. Thus, the special privileges and entitlements enjoyed by rulers that were totally against the ideals of equality and social justice came to an end.

Garibi Hatao

• The political opponents of Indira Gandhi campaigned against her with the slogan “Indira Hatao”.She reverted with “Garibi Hatao”, or removal of poverty. It was a part of the Fifth Five-Year Plan, which stressed poverty alleviation, generation of employment opportunities, and increasing agricultural production.
• Garibi Hatao has been the central theme of election campaigns by Indira Gandhi and helped her reach out to poor and disadvantaged sections. The Indian National Congress supervised the programme, and the Central government provided funding for the same.

Bangladesh Liberation War

• Indira Gandhi took a firm stand and stood with the people of Bangladesh during the Liberation War. She let the refugees from East Pakistan take shelter in India. She extended financial aid, diplomatic assistance, and military support to the people of East Pakistan on 27th March 1971.
• The India-Pakistan war started with the Pakistani attack on an Indian Air station. However, the war ended with the victory of India over Pakistan in 1971. Her pivotal role in the formation of Bangladesh as an Independent nation and success in the India-Pakistan war gained huge popularity.

Read about India-Bangladesh Relations from the linked article

State of Emergency

• In 1975, Allahabad High Court declared the 1971 elections void on the grounds of dishonest election practices, including immoderate spending for elections, and illegal usage of Government machinery and officials for election campaigns. The Supreme Court of India banned Indira Gandhi from holding any government office for 6 years and took away her parliamentary position.
• The then President of India, Fakruddin Ali Ahmad, on the recommendation of Indira Gandhi and her cabinet, declared an Emergency in India. The chaos and disorder, following the Allahabad Court Judgement, were quoted as the reason for the same. Thus, according to article 352 of the Indian Constitution, an Emergency was imposed on June 25, 1975.
• Apart from that, strict censorship was imposed on the media by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Police imposed curfews and incarcerated citizens. States ruled by opposition parties were under the President’s rule. Leaders of opposition parties were arrested, electricity got disconnected, public protests and agitations were banned, and compulsory sterilisation was imposed on the population. After a period of 21 months, the government withdrew the Emergency on March 21, 1977.
• In the 1977 elections, the Congress party under Indira Gandhi got defeated by the Janata Alliance in opposition. Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi faced defeat in their respective constituencies. In November 1978, Indira Gandhi won the by-elections from the Chikmanglur constituency. However, Chaudhary Charan Singh ordered the arrest of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi on various grounds.
• In the 1980 elections, the Congress party secured a landslide victory, and Indira Gandhi got reelected to power. She got elected from the Medak constituency in Telangana. In 1980, post the death of her son, Sanjay Gandhi, she nationalised his car company, Maruti Udyog. She revived the company with the partnership of Suzuki in Japan and launched the first Indian-manufactured car in 1984.

Twenty-Point Programme

• The Twenty Point Programme was launched by Indira Gandhi in 1975, with the intent to eradicate poverty and improve the quality of life of underprivileged sections in the country. The objectives of the programme were aligned with United Nations Millennium Development Goals and National Common Minimum Programme. After its launch, the programme was restructured in 1982 and 1986. Finally, it was reintroduced in 2006 with the inclusion of new schemes and programmes.
• The programme comprises different aspects of socio-economic development, including education, health, agriculture, irrigation, drinking water, environment, etc. Some of the important points of this programme were:

1. Poverty eradication
2. Support to farmers
3. Food Security
4. Farmer Welfare
5. Clean drinking water
6. The welfare of Women
7. Youth Development
8. Environmental Protection
9. Child Welfare

10. Social Security

• The programme has been implemented by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

Operation Blue Star

• Conducted by the Indian Army in June 1984, Operation Bluestar targeted Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, an orthodox Sikh, and member of the Akali Dal party. He demanded the creation of a sovereign state or ‘Khalistan’ for Sikhs. After joining Akali Dal, he organised campaigns for the implementation of the Anandpur Resolution.
• In 1982, Bhindranwale and a few supporters entered the Guru Nanak Niwas near the Golden temple. In 1983, the temple complex got surrounded by militants, and the Punjab Deputy Commissioner was shot dead in the temple complex.
• After negotiations, Indira Gandhi permitted the Indian Army to enter the Golden Temple and remove the militants, including Bhindranwale. The operation involved the usage of heavy artillery-like tanks and caused severe damage to the temple complex. Several innocent pilgrims and Sikh fighters were dead in the operation. However, Indira Gandhi received fierce criticism from the Sikh community and political opponents. Sikh mutinies were organised by Sikh soldiers after the operation.

Assassination

• Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her bodyguards, namely Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, on October 31, 1984. This place in New Delhi, where she got cremated, is known as ‘Shakti Sthal’. Her son, Rajiv Gandhi, succeeded her as the Prime Minister of India.

Awards and achievements

• She has had many accomplishments. She won the Bharat Ratna Award in 1972, the Mexican Academy Award for her initiatives in the Liberation of Bangladesh in 1972, the FAO 2nd Annual Medal (1973), and the Sahitya Vachaspati Nagari Pracharini Sabha in 1976.
• Gandhi also received the 1953 Mother’s Award (US), Italy’s Isabella d’Este Award for her achievements in diplomacy), and Yale University’s Howland Memorial Award. For two years in a row, in 1967 and 1968, she was the most admired woman in France, according to polls by the French polling agency.
• According to a special Gallup poll conducted in the United States in 1971, she was the most admired person in the world. In 1971, she was awarded her honorary diploma by the Argentine Animal Conservation Society for animal protection.

Popular Publications

Popular publications of Indira Gandhi include;

• ‘The Years of Challenge’ (1966-69)
• ‘The Years of Endeavour’ (1969-72)
• ‘India’ (London) in 1975
• ‘Inde’ (Lausanne) in 1979

Frequently Asked Questions about Indira Gandhi

What was Indira Gandhi famous for?

Indira Gandhi is the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru and the first female Prime Minister of India. She served as the Prime Minister for three terms between January 1966 and October 1984 and is the second longest-serving Prime Minister of India.

When did Indira Gandhi receive Bharat Ratna?

The then President of India, V V Giri conferred Bharatratna to her for directing India to victory over Pakistan during Bangladesh Liberation War.

What were the contributions of Indira Gandhi to the nation?

Indira Gandhi, with her iron will and determination, guided India to success during the Indo-Pak war in 1965.Her economic,diplomatic,and military support to Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 led to the formation of Bangladesh. Her poverty alleviation schemes like ‘Garibi Hatao’ and the Twenty-point programme were beneficial for the underprivileged sections of society.

What is Operation Bluestar?

Operation Bluestar refers to the operation of the Indian Army, under the command of Indira Gandhi, to eliminate Sikh militants from the Golden Temple Complex in Amritsar. The operation lasted 10 days between June 1, 1984, and June 10, 1984.

National Emergency was declared under the recommendation of whom?

Indira Gandhi recommended the declaration of National Emergency to Fakruddin Ali Ahmad, the then President of India. “Internal disturbances” were quoted as a primary reason for the declaration of Emergency. However, it was declared immediately following a verdict from Allahabad High Court convicting Indira Gandhi of malpractices during elections.

When did the Nationalisation of banks take place?

14 commercial banks were nationalised on July 19, 1969, by Indira Gandhi by passing an ordinance. Later, in 1980, six commercial banks were also nationalised.

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