Historical Figure
Rajiv Gandhi
1944–1991
Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989
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Biography
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was an Indian politician and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989 for two terms. He took office after the assassination of his mother, then–prime minister Indira Gandhi, to become the youngest Indian prime minister at the age of 40. He served until his defeat at the 1989 election, and then became Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, resigning in December 1990, six months before his own assassination.
Timeline
The story of Rajiv Gandhi, told in moments.
His younger brother Sanjay, the one groomed for politics, died in a plane crash. Rajiv reluctantly entered public life. Elected to Parliament in 1981.
Became Prime Minister at 40 after his mother Indira was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. He was the youngest person to hold the office. Anti-Sikh riots killed thousands.
Sent Indian peacekeeping forces to Sri Lanka. The intervention went badly. He survived an assassination attempt by a Sri Lankan soldier who tried to hit him with a rifle butt during an honor guard.
Killed by a suicide bomber at a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. A woman named Thenmozhi Rajaratnam bent to touch his feet and detonated a vest packed with explosives. He was 46.
In Their Own Words (5)
Political Independence was only the first step. Sending the British home was only the first step. The struggle still continues. In the last 40-42 years since the advent of Independence, there has been a lot of development, a lot of progress but much more still needs to be done.
Speech in Hindi while addressing a tribal rally at Nandurbar, Pune, 31 March 1989 — Selected Speeches and Writings of Rajiv Gandhi, Vol.V, 1989, p.7, 1989
If farmers become weak the country loses self-reliance but if they are strong, freedom also becomes strong. If we do not maintain our progress in agriculture, poverty cannot be eliminated from India. But our biggest poverty alleviation programme is to improve the of our farmers. The thrust of our poverty alleviation programmes is on the uplift of the farmers.
Inagural Speech at the 25th National Convention of the Bharat Krishak Samaj, Hyderabad, 15 February 1988. Transcript at . Quoted in, 1988
For nation-building, the first requisite is peace— peace with our neighbours and peace in the world. Our security environment has been vitiated.
Broadcast to the Nation, 12 November 1984, 1984
Nothing is more important than the unity and integrity of our nation. India is indivisible. Secularism is the bedrock of our nationhood. It implies more than tolerance. It involves an active effort for harmony. No religion preaches hatred and intolerance. Vested interests, both external and internal, are inciting and exploiting communal passions and violence to divide India.
Broadcast to the Nation, 12 November 1984, 1984
Our party is for the building of the temple to Lord Ram, and we should, if possible, work towards an amicable settlement which, while upholding the principles of secularism, enables the construction of the temple to start, with the approval and support of all concerned. ... The key issue appears to be whether or not there was a temple erected to Lord Ram at the site where the Babri Masjid stands today. This question of historical fact would appear to hold the key to a resolution of the problem to the satisfaction of all reasonable, secular-minded persons of all communities.
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