Biography Of Sanjay Gandhi – Free PDF Download

EARLY LIFE

• Sanjay was born in New Delhi, on 14 December 1946, as the younger son of Indira Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi.
• Sanjay studied first at Welham Boys’ School and then at the Doon School in Dehra Dun. Sanjay did not attend university, but took up automotive engineering as a career and underwent an apprenticeship with RollsRoyce in Crewe, England for three years.

MARUTI SUZUKI

• In 1971, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s Cabinet proposed the production of a “People’s car”: an efficient indigenous car that middle-class Indians could afford.
• In June 1971, a company known as Maruti Motors Limited (now Maruti Suzuki) was incorporated under the Companies Act and Sanjay Gandhi became its Managing Director.
• While Sanjay had no previous experience, design proposals or links with any corporation, he was awarded the contract to build the car and the exclusive production licence.

EMERGENCY

• During the Emergency, Sanjay became active in politics.In 1974, the opposition-led protests and strikes had caused a widespread disturbance in many parts of the country and badly affected the government and the economy.
• On 25 June 1975 following an adverse court decision against her, Indira Gandhi declared a national emergency, delayed elections, censored the press and suspended some constitutional freedoms in the name of national security.
• Non-Congress governments throughout the country were dismissed. Thousands of people were arrested.

EMERGENCY

• In the extremely hostile political environment just before and soon after the Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi rose in importance as Indira’s adviser.
• It was said that during the Emergency, he virtually ran India.It was also quipped that Sanjay Gandhi had total control over his mother and that the government was run by the PMH (Prime Minister House) rather than the PMO (Prime Minister Office)
• During the emergency, Indira Gandhi declared a 20- point economic program for development. Sanjay also declared his own much shorter five points program promoting

 POLITICAL CAREER

• In one famous example, Inder Kumar Gujral resigned from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting when Sanjay attempted to direct the affairs of his ministry and give him orders.
• Sanjay stood for his first election to the Indian parliament following the lifting of the Emergency in March 1977.
• This election saw the crushing defeat of not only Sanjay in his constituency of Amethi but also the wiping out of Indira’s Congress party throughout Northern India. However, Sanjay won Amethi for the Congress(I) in the next general election held in January 1980.

CONTROVERSIES

• Just one month before his death, he was appointed secretary general of the Congress Party in May 1980.
• In September 1976, Sanjay Gandhi initiated a widespread compulsory sterilization program to limit population growth. Forced sterilisation was by far the most calamitous exercise undertaken during the Emergency.
• Sanjay Gandhi escaped an assassination attempt in March 1977. Unknown gunmen fired at his car about 300 miles south-east of New Delhi

 LATER

• After losing the 1977 general election, the Congress party split again with Indira Gandhi floating her own Congress(I) faction.
• Janata government’s Home Minister, Charan Singh ordered her and Sanjay arrested on several charges, none of which would be easy to prove in an Indian court.
• This strategy backfired disastrously. Her arrest and long-running trial gained her great sympathy from many people.

 LATER

• In 1979, the government started to unravel over the issue of dual loyalties of some members to Janata and the RSS.
• Morarji Desai resigned as prime minister in July 1979. Charan Singh was appointed Prime Minister, by President Reddy, after Indira and Sanjay promised Singh that Congress(I) would support his government from outside on certain conditions.
• The conditions included dropping all charges against Indira and Sanjay. Since Charan Singh refused to drop the charges, Congress withdrew its support and President Reddy dissolved Parliament in August 1979.

 DEATH

• The Congress(I) under Gandhi swept to power in January 1980.
• Sanjay Gandhi married Maneka Anand, who was 10 years his junior, in New Delhi in October 1974. Their son, Varun Gandhi, was born shortly before Sanjay’s death. Maneka and Varun Gandhi represent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha.
• Sanjay Gandhi died instantly from head wounds in an air crash on 23 June 1980 near Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi. He was flying a new aircraft of the Delhi Flying club.The only passenger in the plane, Captain Subhash Saxena, also died in the crash.

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