Few leaders have shaped morden india as profoundly as Indira Gandhi. From military victories against Pakistan, to her downfall due to emergency, her legacy is story of power, leadership, achievement and controversy.
The “Goongi Gudiya” taking the charge :
In 1966, after the death of former Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, many senior leaders in Congress party thought that Indira Gandhi would be a easy one to control and hence proposed her as a prime minister candidate. Some even termed her as a “Goongi Gudiya” (the dumb doll). What happened instead was remarkable.
During her tenure she defeated the powerful bosses of the Congress party who had helped put her in the office. She became the power centre of the party and took control of the Congress party. Many polticians who underestimated her paid a very heavy price.
The Iron lady: Ruthless, Calculated, Unyielding
During 1971 Indo-Pak war, India under her leadership stood alone against worlds most powerful nations. Whole western block including United States, Great Britain, and even middle East came in support of Pakistan. As the war intensified USA the soul superpower of the world dispatched its 7th fleet in Indian Ocean to counter India.
But Indira Gandhi had already played her master stroke.
Months earlier, she had secured a strategic partnership with soviet union. The indo-soviet treaty had provision that any attack on India will be termed as an attack on Soviet union.
As a result, russian nuclear submarines were spotted in Indian Ocean in response of US 7th fleet. This prevented any direct intervention from US. The 7th fleet was forced to turn back.
Under her leadership Indian military achieved its most desicive victory of modern history. Within 2 weeks of war, 93,000 pakistani civilians and military personnel surrendered to the indian army. Pakistan was divided into two halves, and an independent nation Bangladesh was born.
So frustrated was Richard Nixon, President of USA, by India’s difiance that he even referred Indira Gandhi as an “old-witch”.
The haunt of emergency:
25th June 1975, she declared a national emergency, opposition leaders were arrested, press was censored, fundamental rights were rejected, mass sterilization campaign was carried out to control population. As a result train ran on time, strikes decreased, bureaucracy appeared more effective, crime rate decreased. This made some urban middle class to even support this emergency initially.
Operation Blue Star and her assassination:
In 1984 after the operation Blue Star, her advisors urged her to remove sikh bodyguards. But she dismissed it by saying removing bodyguard solely because they where sikh will hurt india’s secular image. Months later, she was assassinated by two of her sikh bodyguards.
The term iron lady truly symbolises her strength, determination and political resolve. However emergency and what many viewed as her authoritarian tendencies will always be a black spot in her legacy.