Biography of Indira Gandhi complete biography for Class 10, Class 12, and Graduation and other classes.
| Full Name | Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi |
| Born | 1917 |
| Died On | 1984 |
| Known for |
She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 and was also the first and, to date, only female prime minister of India
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| Children | Rajiv Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi |
| Spouse | Feroze Gandhi |
Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977 and for a fourth term from 1980 until her assassination in 1984. She was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, and was born in Allahabad, British India (now in Uttar Pradesh, India) on November 19, 1917.
After the death of her father, Indira Gandhi became involved in the Indian National Congress and held various positions within the party. She served as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting under her father and later under Lal Bahadur Shastri, who succeeded Nehru as Prime Minister.
In 1966, after the death of Shastri, Indira Gandhi was elected as the leader of the Congress party, and she became the third Prime Minister of India. During her first term, she implemented populist policies, nationalized banks, and abolished the privy purses of the princely states. Her administration also focused on increasing agricultural production, the Green Revolution was a notable achievement during her tenure.
Gandhi’s second term as prime minister, beginning in 1971, was marked by political turmoil and conflict with political opponents, as well as with separatist movements in India’s states. She declared an emergency in 1975 which lead to the widespread violation of civil liberties, censorship, and political repression.
In 1977, her Congress party was voted out of power and Gandhi spent the next few years in political opposition. She returned as Prime Minister in 1980, with her party winning the elections again. However, her fourth term was marked by the ongoing conflict with Sikh separatists, culminating in the storming of the Golden Temple by the Indian Army in 1984 and her subsequent assassination by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
Indira Gandhi’s legacy continues to be a subject of controversy and debate in India. She is widely regarded as a strong leader who modernized and centralized the Indian government, but her heavy-handed tactics and disregard for civil liberties have also been criticized.
