point
Menu
Magazines
Browse by year:
Indira Gandhi
Monday, November 1, 1999
Born in Allahabad, Gandhi later went on to study at Oxford. In 1938 she joined the Congress Party and became active in India's independence movement. In 1942, she married Feroze Gandhi, a Parsi lawyer also active in the party. Shortly there after, both were arrested on charges of subversion and sent to jail for thirteen months.

She was an aide to Nehru during his years in office, and became Prime Minister herself in 1966. In 1971, the Indian Army routed Pakistani forces, and Gandhi transformed the state of East Pakistan into Bangladesh. The victory made her immensely popular at home. In 1975, Gandhi was convicted of a minor infraction of the election laws during the 1971 campaign. Maintaining innocence, she charged that the conviction was part of an attempt to remove her from office, and instead of resigning, declared a national state of emeregency on June 26. This interuption of democratic processes is one of her critic's main contentions.
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
facebook