Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi was India’s prime minister from 1984 to 1989 and a leader of the Indian National Congress. His government pursued technological modernization and faced major controversies over security, arms procurement, and regional conflicts.

Bofors scandal: A 1980s controversy over alleged kickbacks in India’s purchase of Bofors artillery from Sweden. The arms deal allegations damaged Gandhi’s government and contributed to Congress’s 1989 defeat.
Anti-Defection Law: An Indian constitutional measure that disqualifies legislators for leaving or defying the political party under which they were elected. Gandhi’s government enacted the law in 1985 to curb party-switching and stabilize legislatures.
Indira Gandhi: India’s prime minister for most of the periods from 1966 to 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi’s mother. Her assassination in October 1984 precipitated Rajiv Gandhi’s succession as prime minister.
Arun Nehru: An Indian politician and close associate of Rajiv Gandhi who later joined the opposition to his government. Nehru helped shape Gandhi’s early political organization before breaking with him.
1984 anti-Sikh riots: Mass violence against Sikhs in India following Indira Gandhi’s assassination, especially severe in Delhi. The violence occurred as Rajiv Gandhi assumed office, and his response remains a major controversy.
Indian general election, 1989: India’s national election in which the Congress Party lost its parliamentary majority after a decade in power. The result ended Gandhi’s premiership amid opposition to his government and the Bofors controversy.
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya: A network of Indian residential schools intended to provide high-quality education to talented students, especially in rural areas. Gandhi’s government launched the school system as part of its rural education policy.
Sanjay Gandhi: An Indian politician and younger son of Indira Gandhi who became an influential figure in the Congress Party before his death in 1980. After Sanjay’s death, Rajiv entered politics and became his mother’s principal political heir.
V. P. Singh: An Indian politician who served as prime minister from 1989 to 1990 after leading opposition to Rajiv Gandhi’s government. Singh resigned from Gandhi’s cabinet and made the Bofors allegations central to his challenge.
Shah Bano case: An Indian legal and political controversy over a Muslim woman’s right to maintenance after divorce. Gandhi’s government reversed the Supreme Court’s ruling through legislation, drawing criticism over secularism and gender justice.

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