Indira Gandhi, Miscellaneous, College Term Papers.com


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Miscellaneous

Indira Gandhi

Indira Gandhi "If I die a violent death as some fear and a few are plotting, I know the violence will be in the thought and the action of the assassin, not in my dying...." Indira Gandhi On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, was shot down while walking from her house to her office in New Delhi, India's Capital City (The New York Times). The fatal shooting was carried out by two men who were members of her personal bodyguard. The shooting marked an abrupt and tragic end to the lengthy political career of the woman who was not only India's first female Prime Minister, but also the daughter of the very first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, better known as Mohandus Gandhi. The news of the assassination of India’s most beloved and venerated women came as a shock to Indira’s worshipers, however, it was no surprise to the people who were well aware of the bitter conflicts of the time period in which Indira was ruling. Indira Gandhi came to power in a time of great turmoil and disturbance caused due to ethnic differences and political instability. During her tenure she faced the formidable task of trying to create political stability, appease the different ethnic groups and develop the fragile economy of the newly independent and impoverished county, India. Indira was successful in achieving some of her goals but her inability to resolve ethnic issues marked her greatest failure, leading to her death. Her assassination was indicative of the deep unrest in India, brutally forcing to the surface problems, which had been simmering in the country for decades. India, which had long been a British colony, did not achieve complete independence from Great Britain until 1948 (Info Please). The path to Indian independence was a long and bloody one, marked by religious and political strife in this ethnically and religiously-mixed country. When India finally did become independent, it was only after a large part of her territory was partitioned off to form a new country, Pakistan. Independent India came to have a predominantly Hindu leadership, although there were many Muslims living in the country, while Pakistan had a Muslim government. Many Hindus in the country were very dissatisfied with the loss of land, which resulted from the establishment of Pakistan. As a result, relations between India's Muslim and Hindu population were often strained, frequently erupting into bloodshed as one or the other side felt underrepresented or unfairly treated. It was in this unsettled atmosphere that Indira Gandhi first came to power. She was chosen as Prime Minister in 1966, and with the exception of a three-year period during which she was first voted out of office and then subsequently voted back in, Gandhi remained the Prime Minister until her death (New York Times). The incident of her being voted out, however, shows that Indira was a controversial figure in Indian politics. She was accused by many of being a dictator whose focus on enlarging her own sphere of power led her to neglect the needs of her country, swinging it further into poverty. When she was voted out of office in 1977 it was as a result of an increasing public opinion that Gandhi was too authoritarian, and that she did not have India's interests in mind (Rediff on the net). The tension between autocratic and democratic tendencies complicated Gandhi's life even more. She followed a centuries-old practice of holding darshan, or seeing, whenever she was in New Delhi (New Rediff on the net). Every morning more than 100 people crowded into the garden to get a glimpse of her and bring her their problems. Critics said this was evidence of her feudal style. Supporters claimed it proved her success in grafting an important Indian tradition to the inherited British democratic process. "Her greatest asset was to listen to people and to feel the traumas they suffered," says journalist T.R. Ramachandran. But, despite the existence of strong public sentiment against her, Gandhi proved remarkably resilient. During much of her political career she was extremely popular among the majority of Indians, who saw her as the "Mataji," or Great Mother of India, and as the single most stabilizing force in Indian politics. Her charisma captivated the populace, who saw her as Bharat Mata (Mother India). Indira could wear out less-devoted aides with her relentless, no-frills travel to India's villages and towns. "I have a special relationship with the Indian people," she said. "Mahatma Gandhi was loved as somebody above. My father with a sense of awe. I receive love as an equal”(New York Times) To her political supporters, she became known as "a tigress among one hundred monkeys." Her first preys were the Congress Party leaders who appointed her Prime Minister after the sudden death of Lal Bahadur Shastri. The "dumb doll" sidelined them, offset opponents and concentrated authority in New Delhi. Then she boosted her standing with the military by commanding them in the 1971 war against Pakistan that created Bangladesh (Info Please). "In her decision-making, she went by one yardstick: Is it good for the pride of the country?" says Abid Hussain, former ambassador to the U.S. and now vice-chairman of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. By its fourth decade of independence, India was able to feed itself, build modern electronic factories and sustain nuclear and space programs. It was also regarded (outside Pakistan) as a force for peace: nonaligned, independent and democratic. Nevertheless, Indira’s popularity and leadership always seem to be in jeopardy. The success in creating the state of Bangladesh pleased the Hindus, however, Muslims which make up a large percentage of India’s population were extremely displeased since they considered the military support against Pakistani’s (mostly Muslims) a war against Muslims. This bitter feeling caused much tension between Hindus and Muslims and again jeopardized Indira’s position as Prime Minister of India. Despite of all the political and ethnic turmoil, many say that Indira’s own personality contributed to her difficulties (Hussain Interview). An intensely private person who seemed nervous around other people, she lived a quiet, simple life. Her mistrust of the manipulations of politicians further removed her from those around her, those who could have protected her (Hussain Interview). Nonetheless, Gandhi’s suspicion and mistrust seem pretty valid, since despite of her popularity a large number of people were unhappy with her way of governing, and it was this animosity that led to Gandhi’s downfall. One element, which was increasingly dissatisfied with the Indian government, was the Sikhs, a sect, whose followers totaled 13 million, a small but still substantial percentage of India's total population of 750 million (Info Please). Many Sikhs felt that Indian society discriminated against them both culturally and politically. In an effort to make the Sikhs' case heard, some members of the Sikh community became increasingly militant, even to the point of committing terrorist acts. Disputes between Sikhs and Hindus were frequently the source of riots and other political violence. In an effort to contain religious violence, Gandhi began to crack down severely on Sikh militants. In June of 1984, she sent Government troops into the Golden Temple, the most holy of all Sikh shrines, because it was suspected of harboring terrorists (Rediff on the Net). When the temple was raided, it was found to be harboring leaders of the Sikh terrorist movement as well as stores of weapons. A large fight erupted between the military and Sikh militants during the raid of the temple. The Golden Temple incident became one of the bloodiest events in India's recent history; at least 600 people were killed in the fighting (Rediff on the net). The Golden Temple events unleashed a rage among many of the Sikhs, who felt that the Indian government had used undue force, and had debased their most sacred Shrine, thus showing a complete disregard for Sikh culture and religion. Showing no deference towards the Sikh, was Indira’s biggest mistake during her entire political career. Many argue that Indira had always emphasized equality, affection towards the poor, respect for every religion, yet she contradicted every tenet she held, when she decided to raid the Golden Temple. They say that Indira could have handled the situation without using military force, which may or may not be true. Throughout the summer of 1984 Gandhi continued to clamp down on Sikh militants (Rediff on the net). The struggle between Gandhi and the Sikh militants finally culminated in her assassination by two members of her own bodyguard, both of whom were Sikhs. The two assassins were apprehended, and were subsequently convicted, along with a third accomplice, of the murder of the Prime Minister. The three men received the death sentence. Nonetheless, another ethnic conflict brought a great leader to a very sad end. The death of Prime Minister Gandhi was followed by widespread rioting and violence. Her son, Rajiv Gandhi, who took over after the death of his mother, found the task of bringing calm to this deeply rocked country to be extremely difficult. In brief, racial conflicts have existed in India since it was founded and they will exist until the end of time. No leader will ever be able to resolve such conflicts and restore complete calm, since hatred is way of life that every human being has chosen for itself, and it’s a emotion that brings color to one’s life. Leaders like Indira Gandhi will come and go, making improvements and a few mistakes and will be victimized for ethnic conflicts that have existed since the beginning of time. Bibliography:

Word Count: 1589