The towering leader Indira Gandhi

 Indira Gandhi was one of the most charismatic and popular leaders of modern India. She was the Prime Minister of our country for more than a decade. Her ideas and vision not only influenced every sphere of public life, her style of governance changed the face of Indian politics also. Her policies left an imprint on world affairs too, particularly, the Non-alignment Movement. The entire Nation pay tribute to this great leader Indira Gandhi on her 27^th Death Anniversary.

All policies of Indira Gandhi’s like abolition of privy purses and privileges of Indian princes, bank nationalisation, progressive takeover of export and import trade, ‘Garibi Hatao’ campaign, 20-point programme had a touch of reformative zeal. Her ‘Garibi Hatao’ slogan and 20-point programme are still relevant and pursued by the Congress. She added stimulus to India’s industrialisation and food production through, among other things, the Green Revolution.

India’s nuclear programme was her legacy. In 1974, India successfully conducted an underground nuclear test named ‘Smiling Buddha’ and it helped India to become the world’s youngest nuclear power. It was Indira Gandhi who paved way to Rajiv Gandhi for creating an IT revolution in the country by first initiating the software exports.

Indira Gandhi always realized that in a country divided by castes and communities one should act consciously and cautiously to maintain the democratic fabric of the system.  India’s foreign policy during Indira Gandhi’s governance was superb. She supported the breakaway province of East Bengal (present Bangladesh) in its bid to achieve independence from Pakistan in 1971, by sending Indian troops to the region resulting in the India-Pakistan conflict of December 1971 which India won decisively. Indira Gandhi’s proximity to the Soviet Union was well known. In fact, since 1971 till her death, arguably India was the Soviet Union’s most important military and economic partner. In the then bi-polar world this proximity and her cautious approach to the US was politically correct from an Indian perspective.

This article is posted by pressbrief.in