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Early Life and Education
1917 (Nov 19) – Born in Allahabad to Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru. 1934-1935 – Studied at Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, but later moved to England. 1936-1941 – Attended Oxford University but faced health issues and interruptions in studies. -
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Entry into Politics
1942 (March 26) – Married Feroze Gandhi. 1942 (August) – Joined the Quit India Movement against British rule; arrested and imprisoned. 1950s – Worked closely with her father, Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister), and became his trusted political advisor. 1959 – Elected President of the Indian National Congress. -
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Becoming Prime Minister
1964 – Nehru passed away; Indira Gandhi became Minister of Information and Broadcasting in Lal Bahadur Shastri’s government. 1966 (Jan 24) – Became India’s first female Prime Minister after Shastri’s sudden death. -
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Major Political and Economic Policies
1969 – Nationalized major banks to boost the economy and empower the poor. 1971 (Dec) – Led India to victory in the Indo-Pakistani War, supporting Bangladesh’s independence. 1974 – Conducted India’s first nuclear test, "Smiling Buddha," making India a nuclear power. -
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Emergency Period and Political Downfall
1975 (June 25) – Declared a state of Emergency after the Allahabad High Court ruled her election invalid due to electoral malpractice. 1975-1977 – Censored the press, arrested opposition leaders, and enforced strict population control policies. 1977 (March) – Lost elections as public backlash led to her defeat. -
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Return to Power and Final Years
1980 – Won elections and became Prime Minister again. 1984 (June) – Ordered Operation Blue Star to remove armed militants from the Golden Temple, which angered many Sikhs. 1984 (Oct 31) – Assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, leading to anti-Sikh riots.