New Delhi: Rajiv Gandhi was the former Prime Minister of India who served in that role from 1984 to 1989. He became the PM after his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated while serving in that position and Rajiv himself would have a very tragic end to his life. A person who was reluctant to join politics, his tenure as the PM was filled with controversies. Today is his birth anniversary and in this article, we will take a look at some of the interesting facts about the man who led Congress to their biggest win in the Lok Sabha elections.
Rajiv Gandhi: Interesting facts to know about the former PM
Born on August 20, 1944, in Mumbai to Indira and Feroze Gandhi, Rajiv was not related to Mahatma Gandhi but instead belonged to the politically powerful Nehru-Gandhi family. His maternal grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister of India during much of his childhood.
Rajiv Gandhi went to the UK for his higher education but was not studious enough and hence, could not obtain a major degree. He came back to India in 1966 when his mother Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister. In Delhi, he became a member of the Flying Club, trained as a pilot and became a pilot of the Indian Airlines in 1970.
In 1968, he married Edvige Antonia Albina Màino who changed her name to Sonia Gandhi. In 1970, their first child Rahul was born and they had their second child Priyanka in 1972. Rajiv settled in Delhi with his family with no intention of joining politics unlike his younger brother Sanjay.
Rajiv was a friend of Amitabh Bachchan even before the latter started his acting career. Rajiv, Amitabh and Sanjay spent time together when Bachchan was studying at Delhi University.
On June 23, 1980, his younger brother Sanjay Gandhi died in an aeroplane crash while he was flying it. Rajiv, who was in London then, came back to India and was requested by several Congress leaders to enter politics. Reluctantly, he took up politics in February 1981.
In the same year, he became a Lok Sabha member by winning the Amethi Constituency. Also, he later became the general secretary of Congress and got an important responsibility in organising the Asian Games in 1982.
On October 31, 1984, PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for Operation Blue Star. Rajiv Gandhi was made the Prime Minister later that day and he remains the youngest person to serve in that office.
Despite the ensuing anti-Sikh massacres in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi led the Congress to a thumping victory in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections. The party won 414 seats, its biggest victory in the Lok Sabha elections to date.
Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure as the PM was filled with controversies including the Bofors scandal, the Shah Bano case and of course the Bhopal disaster. In 1986, riots took place in Kashmir and in 1987, he sent peacekeeping troops to Sri Lanka, starting a conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Due to the Bofors scandal, he and his Congress lost in the 1989 Lok Sabha elections. In 1991, while campaigning for his party, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, at the age of 46 by an LTTE suicide bomber. In 1991, he was given the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country.
A person reluctant to join politics, Rajiv Gandhi became the PM after his mother Indira Gandhi was assassinated while serving as the PM. Rajiv would lead the Congress to their biggest win in the Lok Sabha elections. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
