From the India Today archives (2003) | Heir styling in Indian politics
2 days, 23 hours ago

From the India Today archives (2003) | Heir styling in Indian politics

India Today  

Pop psychologists would call it the colonial conundrum; the inherent, almost instinctive, desire among former British colonies of south Asia to opt for dynastic rule as a substitute for royalty. Jawaharlal Nehru, very much kingmaker if not king, his daughter Indira Gandhi, the imperious queen, and even Rajiv Gandhi’s reign drew constant parallels with Camelot till things went sour. Excerpts from Dynasties of India and Beyond: Interestingly, dynastic succession did not become an issue at all in India when Indira Gandhi first became prime minister in January 1966, eighteen months after her father’s death. About Indira Gandhi, Hangen had written, with admirable astuteness: ‘No public figure in India disclaims political ambition so insistently, and none is more disbelieved.’. Welles Hangen had written that while Desai or Shastri could become prime minister, each on his own strength, for Indira the door to the room at the top could be opened only with the help of the ‘powerful parental key’.

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History of this topic

Opinion: For Rahul Gandhi, 'dada' Feroze is better role model than Indira
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Opinion: For Rahul Gandhi, 'dada' Feroze is better role model than Indira

India Today  

As the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi would be better off following in his dada’s footsteps than his dadi’s. Rahul Gandhi's dada Feroze Gandhi, considered an outstanding parliamentarian till he died in 1960, was famed for doing the “homework” — data, statistics, statements, etc — when he took on Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in a …

'My father inherited martyrdom, not wealth': Priyanka hits back at PM Modi’s jibe on Rajiv Gandhi
7 months, 3 weeks ago

'My father inherited martyrdom, not wealth': Priyanka hits back at PM Modi’s jibe on Rajiv Gandhi

New Indian Express  

Priyanka emotionally recounted the 1991 assassination of her father, adding that Modi will not understand the sacrifices made by her family. Last week, while addressing a rally in Morena, Modi had accused Rajiv of abolishing inheritance tax after coming to power to avoid taxation on the wealth inherited from his mother, Indira Gandhi. There were talks then that Indiraji willed …

Book Review | A career unimpeded by ideology & protected by Indira's blessing
1 year ago

Book Review | A career unimpeded by ideology & protected by Indira's blessing

Deccan Chronicle  

The leftist magazine that commented in January 1980 that socialism didn’t grow out of the pipe that Pranab Mukherjee, Indira Gandhi’s new commerce minister, smoked could not have had a clue about his true “ism” or, indeed, if he had one. Readers here may recall that Foot became notorious during the Emergency for reportedly welcoming Mrs Gandhi’s fiat as “a …

Indira Gandhi 104th Birth Anniversary: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi And Other Leaders Pay Tribute
3 years, 1 month ago

Indira Gandhi 104th Birth Anniversary: PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi And Other Leaders Pay Tribute

ABP News  

New Delhi: November 19 marks the 104th birth anniversary of India's former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. — Narendra Modi November 19, 2021 Remembering India’s first and only woman Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi tweeted “Her biggest power was to live among the people and share their joys and sorrows.” Congress interim President, Sonia Gandhi paid floral tributes to mark the 104th …

From the archives: Indira Gandhi — the empress
3 years, 1 month ago

From the archives: Indira Gandhi — the empress

India Today  

When Indira Gandhi became prime minister of India in early 1966, she had nowhere to go but up. The Congress, as an institution, which it still was, also cushioned the inexperience of the prime minister, surrounding her with a heavyweight cabinet in which she was less than an equal and even heavierweight chief ministers and regional satraps who commanded Delhi …

30 years later, the life and legacy of Rajiv Gandhi
3 years, 7 months ago

30 years later, the life and legacy of Rajiv Gandhi

Hindustan Times  

Rajiv Gandhi was an unusual Indian politician. He had seen both his grandfather and mother as prime ministers and grown up in a political home — yet he maintained a distinct professional identity as a pilot and attempted to live a regular urban upper middle class life, till his brother, Sanjay Gandhi’s air crash altered the trajectory of his family …

Indira Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary: Remembering the Life of India's Only Woman Prime Minister
4 years, 1 month ago

Indira Gandhi’s Birth Anniversary: Remembering the Life of India's Only Woman Prime Minister

News 18  

Popularly known as the ‘Iron lady of India’, Indira Gandhi was the first and so far the only woman to hold the office of Prime Minister in India. Indira Gandhi was born on November 19 in 1917 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. After Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri helmed the PM office …

Indira Gandhi’s 103rd Birth Anniversary: Top Three Speeches of India's Former Prime Minister
4 years, 1 month ago

Indira Gandhi’s 103rd Birth Anniversary: Top Three Speeches of India's Former Prime Minister

News 18  

Indira Gandhi, the first female prime minister of India, is remembered as a powerful leader, who faced her own share of ups and downs. As the country pays homage to Gandhi on her 103rd birth anniversary, here are some of her renowned speeches. Independence Day speech, 1984 Gandhi was assassinated by her own body guards two months after delivering Independence …

Lal Bahadur Shastri: How Nehru made plans to make Indira his successor
4 years, 2 months ago

Lal Bahadur Shastri: How Nehru made plans to make Indira his successor

Op India  

This was one key question which became the headline in almost all national and international newspapers after the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the country on May 27, 1964. However, after the death of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri took over as the Prime Minister of India. It is pertinent to note here that over the …

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