ru, Jawaharlal, 1889-1964, Indian statesman, first prime minister of India (1947-64). He was educated at Harrow and Cambridge, and practiced law. After the British massacre of Indian nationalists at Amritsar (1919) he became a nationalist. He was a leader of the Indian National Congress and an associate of Gandhi, although unlike Gandhi he favored industrialization and socialism. He participated in the negotiations that created an independent India in 1947 and served as its Prime Minister until his death. Although an advocate of nonviolence and neutralism in foreign affairs, he did not hesitate to employ force in opposing Pakistan in Kashmir, in seizing (1961) Goa from the Portuguese, and in resisting (1962) Chinese border incursions. He was the father of Indira GandhiGandhi, Indira, 1917-1984, Prime Minister of India (1966-77, 1980-84), Daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru. After serving as her father's aide and rising through the ranks of the Congress party, she became Prime Minister on the death of Shastri. India's defeat of Pakistan in 1971 assured Indian dominance of the subcontinent. Gandhi's administration, increasingly authoritarian, was marked by stress on social programs and government planning. Faced with opposition, she declared an "emergency" in 1975, jailing opponents and suspending civil liberties. Forced from office in 1977, she made a triumphant return in 1980, stressing agricultural development and stronger international relations. She was assassinated (1984) by Sikh members of her bodyguard unit following an attack on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sikhs' holiest shrine. Her son, Rajiv Gandhi, succeeded her as Prime Minister.Singh, Vishwanath Pratap, 1931-, Prime Minister of India, (1989-1991); previously defense minister in Rajiv Gandhi's Cabinet; has a reputation as an honest man determined to rid India of corruptionRao, P (amulaparti) V(enkata) Narasimha, 1921-, Indian politician, prime minister of India (1991-). He se...
