111 Facts About Indira Gandhi

1.

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,296
2.

Indira Gandhi's was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 and was the first and, to date, only female prime minister of India.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,297
3.

Indira Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,298
4.

Indira Gandhi's served as prime minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 until her assassination in October 1984, making her the second longest-serving Indian prime minister after her father.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,299
5.

Indira Gandhi's was elected president of the Indian National Congress in 1959.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,300
6.

Indira Gandhi's went to war with Pakistan in support of the independence movement and 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 sole regional power of South Asia.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,301
7.

In 1999, Indira Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll organised by the BBC.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,302
8.

In 2020, Indira Gandhi was named by Time magazine among the world's 100 powerful women who defined the last century.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,303
9.

Indira Gandhi's was the only child, and grew up with her mother, Kamala Nehru, at the Anand Bhavan, a large family estate in Allahabad.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,304
10.

Indira Gandhi's had limited contact with her father, mostly through letters.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,305
11.

Indira Gandhi was taught mostly at home by tutors and attended school intermittently until matriculation in 1934.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,306
12.

Indira Gandhi's was a student at the Modern School in Delhi, St Cecilia's and St Mary's Christian convent schools in Allahabad, the International School of Geneva, the Ecole Nouvelle in Bex, and the Pupils' Own School in Poona and Bombay, which is affiliated with the University of Mumbai.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,307
13.

Indira Gandhi's went on to study at the Vishwa Bharati in Santiniketan, which became Visva-Bharati University in 1951.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,308
14.

Indira Gandhi had to take the entrance examination twice, having failed at her first attempt with a poor performance in Latin.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,309
15.

Indira Gandhi did have an active part within the student life of the university, such as membership in the Oxford Majlis Asian Society.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,310
16.

Indira Gandhi's had to make repeated trips to Switzerland to recover, disrupting her studies.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,311
17.

Indira Gandhi's was being treated there in 1940, when Germany rapidly conquered Europe.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,312
18.

Indira Gandhi tried to return to England through Portugal but was left stranded for nearly two months.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,313
19.

Indira Gandhi's managed to enter England in early 1941, and from there returned to India without completing her studies at Oxford.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,314
20.

Indira Gandhi formed her government with Morarji Desai as deputy prime minister and finance minister.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,315
21.

Indira Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Raebareli constituency.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,316
22.

Indira Gandhi's had a rocky start after agreeing to devalue the rupee which created hardship for Indian businesses and consumers.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,317
23.

Indira 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 the Congress faction.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,318
24.

The Indira Gandhi faction, called Congress, lost its majority in the parliament but remained in power with the support of regional parties such as DMK.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,319
25.

Indira Gandhi's was said to be hailed as Goddess Durga by opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the time.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,320
26.

Indira Gandhi's announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court and insisted that the conviction did not undermine her position.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,321
27.

Indira Gandhi moved to restore order by ordering the arrest of most of the opposition participating in the unrest.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,322
28.

Indira Gandhi used the emergency provisions to change conflicting party members:.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,323
29.

Unlike her father Jawaharlal Nehru, who preferred to deal with strong chief ministers in control of their legislative parties and state party organizations, Mrs Indira 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.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,324
30.

Indira Gandhi wielded tremendous power during the emergency without holding any government office.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,325
31.

In 1977, after extending the state of emergency twice, Indira Gandhi called elections to give the electorate a chance to vindicate her rule.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,326
32.

Indira Gandhi's was opposed by the Janata alliance of Opposition parties.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,327
33.

Since Indira Gandhi had lost her seat in the election, the defeated Congress party appointed Yashwantrao Chavan as their parliamentary party leader.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,328
34.

Indira Gandhi's won a by-election in the Chikmagalur Constituency and took a seat in the Lok Sabha in November 1978 after the Janata Party's attempts to have Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar run against her failed when he refused to contest the election saying he wanted to remain apolitical.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,329
35.

In 1980, as a tribute to her son's dream of launching an indigenously manufactured car, Indira Gandhi nationalized Sanjay's debt ridden company, Maruti Udyog, for Rs.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,330
36.

Indira Gandhi launched its first Indian manufactured car in 1984.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,331
37.

Indira Gandhi was accused of using the attack for political ends.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,332
38.

Indira Gandhi's was to be interviewed by the British filmmaker Peter Ustinov, who was filming a documentary for Irish television.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,333
39.

South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan, said Indira Gandhi's death meant the 'loss of a great leader to the whole world.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,334
40.

Indira Gandhi is remembered for her ability to effectively promote Indian foreign policy measures.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,335
41.

Finally, in December 1971, Indira Gandhi intervened directly in the conflict to liberate Bangladesh.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,336
42.

India's new hegemonic position, as articulated under the "Indira Gandhi Doctrine", led to attempts to bring the Himalayan states under India's sphere of influence.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,337
43.

Nepal and Bhutan remained aligned with India, while in 1975, after years of building up support, Indira Gandhi incorporated Sikkim into India, after a referendum in which a majority of Sikkimese voted to join India.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,338
44.

Indira Gandhi's enjoyed cordial relations with Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,339
45.

India under Indira Gandhi was alleged to have supported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militants in the 1980s to put pressure on Jayewardene to abide by Indian interests.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,340
46.

Nevertheless, Indira Gandhi rejected demands to invade Sri Lanka in the aftermath of Black July 1983, an anti-Tamil pogrom carried out by Sinhalese mobs.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,341
47.

Indira Gandhi accused General Zia of supporting Khalistani militants in Punjab.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,342
48.

Indira Gandhi remained a staunch supporter of the Palestinians in the Arab–Israeli conflict and was critical of the Middle East diplomacy sponsored by the United States.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,343
49.

Nevertheless, Indira Gandhi authorised the development of a secret channel of contact and security assistance with Israel in the late 1960s.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,344
50.

Libya agreed with the Arab monarchies in believing that Indira Gandhi's intervention in East Pakistan was an attack against Islam.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,345
51.

Indira 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, especially Saudi Arabia, and the growing influence of Islam in Pakistani society.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,346
52.

One of the major developments in Southeast Asia during Indira Gandhi's premiership was the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 1967.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,347
53.

Indira Gandhi began negotiations with the Kenyan government to establish the Africa-India Development Cooperation.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,348
54.

Indira Gandhi declared the people of Indian origin settled in Africa as "Ambassadors of India".

FactSnippet No. 1,078,349
55.

Foreign and domestic policy successes in the 1970s enabled Indira Gandhi to rebuild India's image in the eyes of African states.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,350
56.

Indira Gandhi firmly tied Indian anti-imperialist interests in Africa to those of the Soviet Union.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,351
57.

India under Indira Gandhi hosted the 1983 Commonwealth Heads of Government summit in New Delhi.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,352
58.

Indira Gandhi used these meetings as a forum to put pressure on member countries to cut economic, sports, and cultural ties with Apartheid South Africa.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,353
59.

Indira Gandhi spent a number of years in Europe during her youth and had formed many friendships there.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,354
60.

Indira Gandhi's enjoyed a close working relationship with many British leaders including conservative premiers, Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,355
61.

Indira Gandhi was unhappy with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, but calculations involving relations with Pakistan and China kept her from criticising the Soviet Union harshly.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,356
62.

The KGB was responsible for Indira Gandhi exaggerating the threats posed by both the CIA and Pakistan.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,357
63.

When Indira Gandhi came to power in 1966, Lyndon Johnson was the US president.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,358
64.

Indira Gandhi resented the US policy of food aid being used as a tool to force India to adopt policies favoured by the US.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,359
65.

Indira Gandhi's resolutely refused to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons .

FactSnippet No. 1,078,360
66.

In 1981, Indira Gandhi met President Ronald Reagan for the first time at the North–South Summit held to discuss global poverty.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,361
67.

Indira Gandhi presided over three Five-Year Plans as prime minister, two of which succeeded in meeting their targeted growth.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,362
68.

Indira Gandhi's was seemingly against the rich and big business while preserving the status quo to manipulate the support of the left in times of political insecurity, such as the late 1960s.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,363
69.

Indira Gandhi's had only a general and traditional commitment to the ideology by way of her political and family ties.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,364
70.

Indira Gandhi's began a new course by launching the Fourth Five-Year Plan in 1969.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,365
71.

Indira Gandhi inherited a weak economy when she became prime minister again in 1980.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,366
72.

Indira Gandhi proceeded to abrogate the Janata Party government's Five-Year Plan in 1980 and launched the Sixth Five-Year Plan .

FactSnippet No. 1,078,367
73.

Indira Gandhi inherited a tattered economy in her second term; harvest failures and a second oil shock in the late 1970s had caused inflation to rise again.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,368
74.

In 1969, Indira Gandhi moved to nationalise fourteen major commercial banks.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,369
75.

In 1966, Indira Gandhi accepted the demands of the Akalis to reorganise Punjab on linguistic lines.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,370
76.

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 Indira Gandhi declared a union territory to be shared as a capital by both the states.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,371
77.

Indira Gandhi indicated that she would make no major concessions on Kashmir.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,372
78.

The situation was normalised in the years following the war after Abdullah agreed to an accord with Indira Gandhi, by giving up the demand for a plebiscite in return for a special autonomous status for Kashmir.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,373
79.

In 1975, Indira Gandhi declared the state of Jammu and Kashmir as a constituent unit of India.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,374
80.

In 1972, Indira Gandhi granted statehood to Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura, while the North-East Frontier Agency was declared a union territory and renamed Arunachal Pradesh.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,375
81.

Indira Gandhi questioned the continued existence of a privy purse for former rulers of princely states.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,376
82.

Indira Gandhi's argued the case for abolition based on equal rights for all citizens and the need to reduce the government's revenue deficit.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,377
83.

Indira Gandhi responded by having a Presidential proclamation issued; de-recognising the princes; with this withdrawal of recognition, their claims to privy purses were legally lost.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,378
84.

Indira Gandhi claimed that only "clear vision, iron will and the strictest discipline" can remove poverty.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,379
85.

Indira Gandhi's justified the imposition of the state of emergency in 1975 in the name of the socialist mission of the Congress.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,380
86.

In 1967, Indira Gandhi introduced a constitutional amendment that guaranteed the de facto use of both Hindi and English as official languages.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,381
87.

Indira Gandhi thus put herself forward as a leader with a pan-Indian vision.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,382
88.

Indira Gandhi came out of the language conflicts with the strong support of the south Indian populace.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,383
89.

Indira Gandhi considered the north-eastern region important, because of its strategic situation.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,384
90.

Indira Gandhi ordered the Indian Army to launch massive retaliatory strikes in response.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,385
91.

In 1972, after the less extremist Mizo leaders came to the negotiating table, Indira Gandhi upgraded Mizoram to the status of a union territory.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,386
92.

Indira Gandhi contributed to, and carried out further, the vision of Jawaharlal Nehru, former premier of India, to develop its nuclear program.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,387
93.

Indira Gandhi authorised the development of nuclear weapons in 1967, in response to Test No 6 by the People's Republic of China.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,388
94.

Indira Gandhi saw this test as Chinese nuclear intimidation and promoted Nehru's views to establish India's stability and security interests independent from those of the nuclear superpowers.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,389
95.

Indira Gandhi gave verbal authorisation for this test, and preparations were made in the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,390
96.

Indira Gandhi directed a letter to Bhutto, and later to the world, claiming the test was for peaceful purposes and part of India's commitment to develop its programme for industrial and scientific use.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,391
97.

Indira Gandhi did not often discuss her gender, but she did involve herself in women's issues before becoming the prime minister.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,392
98.

In 1956, Indira Gandhi had an active role in setting up the Congress Party's Women's Section.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,393
99.

Indira Gandhi's often tried to organise women to involve themselves in politics.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,394
100.

Indira Gandhi's was one of the first people I read about with enthusiasm.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,395
101.

Indira Gandhi had been swept up in the call for Indian independence since she was born in 1917.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,396
102.

Indira Gandhi felt guilty about her inability to fully devote her time to her children.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,397
103.

Indira Gandhi did not make a special effort to appoint women to cabinet positions.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,398
104.

Indira Gandhi's did not appoint any women to full cabinet rank during her terms in office.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,399
105.

Indira Gandhi's was responsible for India joining the group of countries with nuclear weapons.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,400
106.

In 1999, Indira Gandhi was named "Woman of the Millennium" in an online poll organised by the BBC.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,401
107.

Indira Gandhi is associated with fostering a culture of nepotism in Indian politics and in India's institutions.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,402
108.

Indira Gandhi's is almost singularly associated with the period of Emergency rule and the dark period in Indian democracy that it entailed.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,403
109.

Indira Gandhi's remains the only woman to occupy the office of the prime minister of India.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,404
110.

In 2020, Indira Gandhi was named by Time magazine among the world's 100 powerful women who defined the last century.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,405
111.

Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi is a 1970 Indian two-part documentary film by S Krishnaswamy which traces the history of India from the earliest times of the Indus Valley Civilization to the prime ministership of Indira Gandhi.

FactSnippet No. 1,078,406