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The Role Of Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty In Indian Politics

Shri Ganeshai Naman - 8/5/2006

India has followed the multi-party system from the beginning but the balance always tilted towards the Congress. It was natural. The people were still under the influence of freedom struggle and have not forgotten the role of Congress in this struggle. The people adore Nehru, Gandhi, Sardar Patel and others.

It was 15th August 1947. India had got independence and Gandhiji chose Jawaharlal Nehru to lead the nation. After the death of Nehru in 1964 Indira became the member of the parliament. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the Prime Minister but his duration was very short lived. After his death there was a void in the nation. Indira came to power and became the prime minister on 19th January 1966. Soon she splitted her own party and became the leader of the New Congress. She had to do this to get rid of elements opposed to her. During the 70s India went to war with Pakistan which she won and created Bangladesh. India test fired nuclear weapon in 1974 to show her might and soon was considered an important nation in Asia.But Indira's rule was not smooth. She declared emergency in June 1976. She put many leaders behind bars, imposed press censorship. The people of India became fed up with Indira's high handed rule.

Indira and her younger son Sanjay were defeated in the election that followed. The new Janata party came to power whose leaders fought the election from prison. But she soon returned to power in 1980. Indira has to face the brunt of his son. But Sanjay got killed in a plane crash. After that she was totally dependent on her other son Rajiv who was a pilot and married an Italian girl Sonia. Indira was killed by the Punjabi bodyguard in the year 1984 when Rajiv was out of India. He was chosen as a Prime Minister and when the election was held he swept the nation on the sympathy wave. He was the first Prime Minister who has got the absolute majority in the parliament.

Sonia was against Rajiv joining Indian politics but slowly she came to terms with it. There were many youngsters in his cabinet like V P Singh, Arun Nehru, Ambika Soni and Mani Shanker Aaiyar and others. V P Singh looked after the finance portfolio and he became very famous. He started dreaming about sitting in Prime Minister's chair. He came out with the Mandal commission and became the Messiah of the weaker section. When election was held in 1989 the congress rule came to an end. V P Singh came to power. Rajiv no longer remained Mr. Clean and his popularity went down. He was killed in 1991 by LTTE and his era came to an end.