Nehru as the first Prime Minister of India, left a great imprint on the newly independent nation. He realised the potential of India, and worked towards making it a great nation. Being a grassroot leader, he knew his ground, his people, so he never worried about votes for his party, but he worried about the country. But after his sudden demise in 1964, a void was created in the political scenario of India. This void was then filled by Lal Bahadur Shastri, the second Prime Minister, an extremely simple man who came into limelight after India’s success in the India-Pakistan war 1965. His slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kisan, still reverberates through the hearts of Indians. But he also passed away in Tashkent, and Indira Gandhi, Nehru’s daughter became the Prime Minister of India in 1966. She was not the automatic choice by the group of senior congress leadership, which was unofficially known as Syndicate.
Prior to being known as the Iron Lady, an autocratic leader, Ram Manohar Lohiya coined the term Goongi Gudiya for her. At just 19 years old, Indira’s mother passed away, so one can envision the tough circumstances she likely grew up in. She was a girl brought up with a scientific mindset and was not familiar with the Hindu traditions. It is also known that Nehru wrote letters to Indira while he was imprisoned in Ahmednagar Jail. Indira was only ten years old when Nehru penned Letters from a Father to his Daughter, alongside nearly two hundred letters in which he shared Glimpse’s World History. Thus, it can be concluded that Indira was brought up as a well-educated young woman. Her thoughts are in contrast with leaders of the present who favor a havan prior to launching any rocket. There is no objection to a havan, but the launching of a rocket or the unveiling of a statue should occur without showing any bias towards any specific religion. But this young woman, turned into one of the powerful Prime Minister’s in the history of India, but after a while her tenure became a struggle for the seat.
Whenever one remembers Indira’s tenure, its main highlights are the India-Pakistan war, Bangladesh’s independence, Emergency, Nationalistaion of Banks, Green Revolution, Garibi Hatao Campaign. Her government also came up with the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, which was in a way a great relief for young pregnant women, who did not want babies. All these things had a great impact on the stability and growth of the country.
When talking about her foreign policy, Indira Gandhi strongly linked the anti-imperialist goals of India in Africa to the interests of the Soviet Union. In contrast to Nehru, she publicly and eagerly backed liberation movements in Africa. Simultaneously, China’s sway in Africa diminished due to its continual disputes with the Soviet Union. Her government also came up with the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969 for people residing outside India to get married and get their marriages registered under this act. Her internal policies have also been great, the idea of Nationalisation of Banks is known as the masterstroke of Indira’ tenure. Nationalising 14 banks was the need of the hour and India’s economic condition was in favour of it. She also dissolved the Privy Purse expense which was another burden to the government of India. The government was bound to pay this money under the Article 291 and 362, but with the 26th Amendment of 1971, it was also abolished. It was a great blow to the feudal structure of various princely states. One should be really proud of this step in the 70s, as the Royal Family was Britain still living on the amount given by the government.
Where one remembers the Green Revolution as a gift which helped India to not only become self-sufficient in food, but also an exporter. People also do not forget the period of emergency, which can be regarded as the total upside down to the developmental works being done. This period curtailed personal as well as constitutional rights of individuals. This period is also known as the Dark Days of Indian democracy. We all know it was done by Indira Gandhi, claiming as a breakdown of law and order, but in reality it was against the massive protest which was going against corruption by the people in power. After the emergency was withdrawn, she declared a General Election in 1977, where she lost to Moraji Desai, who became the first non-congress Prime Minister of the country. Severe accusations were leveled at the government during the Emergency, including the detention of individuals without charges, torture of detainees and political prisoners, as well as widespread and unlawful implementation of laws. The Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) was a statute that was widely misused. Laloo Prasad Yadav chose the name Misa for his first child, inspired by the notorious law. The newly-elected Janata Party government repealed MISA in 1977. But the Janata Party could not stay for long and congress leader Chaudhary Charan Singh became the Prime Minister, but could stay strong on his seat for long. Indira again contested the 1980s Lok Sabha election and became the Prime Minister. But this time she was more focused on saving her seat rather than any step for social development.
Narendra Modi, the current Prime Minister of India who was a sensation during the period of emergency in Gujarat, where he disguised as a Sardar and fought against the oppressive period. But if one looks at him today, he seems very similar to Indira Gandhi, as both of them have a more centralised form of government. Some people also claim his period as an “Undeclared Emergency”. It is difficult to say today, but the future of the Modi government will surely give us an answer.