Rajiv Gandhi Biography: Rajiv Gandhi was born into one of India’s most influential political families. After his maternal grandfather, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and mother, Smt. Indira Gandhi, he became the third member of his family to become Prime Minister of India. At the age of 40, he became the youngest Prime Minister of India. His development initiatives included a revision of the national education policy and a significant expansion of the telecommunications industry. As a result of his alleged involvement in the Rs. 640 million Bofors scandal, Rajiv Gandhi became one of India’s most controversial prime ministers.
Rajiv Gandhi Biography
Early Life
Rajiv Gandhi was born on 20 August 1944 into the Nehru-Gandhi family, the country’s most prominent political dynasty. His mother, Indira Gandhi, was India’s first and only female prime minister. His father was Feroze Gandhi, a prominent member of the Indian National Congress and editor of the periodical The National Herald. Rajiv Gandhi attended first the Welham Boys’ School and then the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun. Later, he travelled to England to study at Cambridge University. Rajiv first met Italian Sonia Maino (later Sonia Gandhi) at Cambridge University. Rajiv Gandhi’s interest in politics waned after his return from the United Kingdom, and he instead focused on becoming a professional pilot. He subsequently became a pilot for Indian Airlines.
Career
Rajiv had no desire to follow in his family’s footsteps and enter politics. Sanjay Gandhi, his younger sibling, was being groomed to take over the family’s political legacy. However, Sanjay’s untimely death in a plane accident altered Rajiv’s fate. The prominent members of the Indian National Congress approached Rajiv Gandhi in an attempt to persuade him to enter politics, but he was hesitant and said “no” to them. His wife, Sonia Gandhi, also supported his decision not to enter politics. However, after repeated requests from his mother Indira Gandhi, he decided to run for office. His entry was heavily criticised by the press, the public, and the opposition. They viewed the entry of the Nehru-Gandhi scion into politics as a form of compelled hereditary participation. Within a few months of his election as an MP from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajiv Gandhi gained significant party influence and became his mother’s most influential political advisor. In addition to being elected as the general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, he later became president of the Youth Congress.
Following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards at her New Delhi residence on October 31, 1984, Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister. The Congress Party, riding high on the catastrophe, won the subsequent parliamentary elections by a landslide.
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Rajiv Gandhi: Personal Life
Rajiv Gandhi wed Edvige Antonia Albion Maino in 1968. Antonia Maino changed her identity to Sonia Gandhi and decided to reside in India. In 1970, the couple had a son, whom they named Rahul Gandhi. The couple had a daughter named Priyanka Gandhi in 1972.
Death
On 21 May 1991, as Rajiv Gandhi approached the podium, Congress supporters and well-wishers showered him with flowers. At approximately 10 p.m., the assassin greeted him and touched his ankles. She then detonated an RDX-filled belt that was affixed to her waistbelt. According to reports, the violent act was committed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in response to the presence of the Indian Peace-keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.
