This Day in History: 19 January 2020
19 January 1966
54 years ago, today, Indira Gandhi became Indian Prime Minister, marking India's first female head of government. However, soon after she became Prime Minister, she was challenged by the right wing of the Congress Party, meaning that in the next election, she only won with a narrow victory, but in 1971, won again with a remarkable re-election victory. In the same year, she ordered the invasion of Pakistan, in support of the creation of Bangladesh, which subsequently helped her gain even more popularity, and led her party to another victory the next year.
Over the next few years, she focused on the issues of increasing civil unrest, food shortages, inflation and regional disputes. Her administration used strong-arms tactics, and were therefore criticised, while Gandhi faced a national scandal for allegations of fixing the 1971 election. As a result, she was banned from politics for 6 years, so Gandhi retaliated by declaring a state of emergency throughout India, as she imprisoned thousands of political enemies and restricted freedoms in the country. During this period, men and women were forced to be sterilised as a means of controlling the population growth. In 1977, Gandhi and her party were removed from office, but her new party, the Congress (I) Party, won the 1980 election, and Gandhi was Prime Minister once again.
After this, New Delhi was asked by regional states for greater autonomy, causing many Sikhs to resort to violence, which Gandhi responded to with more violence, sending an Indian army to the Sikh base in the sacred Golden Temple. Angered, Sikh members of Gandhi's bodyguard gunned her down in her own home on October 31, 1984. She was succeeded by her son, Rajiv Gandhi.
Want to find out more about the life and political history of Indira Gandhi? Clickhere for more details.
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