Sanjay Gandhi is a famous Indian politician who lived in the middle of the last century. Its influence on the internal order in the country is truly surprising, since, having impressive power, he never held the highest posts in parliament. It would seem that Sanjay was only a shadow of his relatives, but even so he managed to change the fate of hundreds of thousands of people.
Sanjay Gandhi: a biography of the early years
The young man was born on December 14, 1946 in New Delhi. His parents were famous politicians Feroz and Indira Gandhi. Given this, it is not surprising that the boy from an early age was shrouded in wealth and attention. However, the unbridled craving for everything new and explosive in nature did not allow him to graduate.
Instead, Gandhi Sanjay begs his parents to send him abroad. Mother and father make concessions to his son, and he moves to live in the UK. Here he discovers a world of new contrasts, which he subsequently wants to realize in his country. For example, after working for some time at the Rolls-Royce concern, the young man dreams of opening his own automobile factory in India.
A few words about the Gandhi family
To begin with, Sanjaya’s grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of independent India. It was he who founded the new dynasty of politicians who for a long time controlled the course of reforms in the country. In particular, his daughter Indira Gandhi became one of the most influential women of that time, thereby putting her name in historical chronicles.
Other members of the Gandhi family were also drawn into political battles. The head of the Feroz family was one of the most ardent fighters against corruption in parliament. And the eldest son Rajiv will subsequently become the next prime minister of the country, thereby repeating the success of his grandfather and mother.
Car for the people
In the mid-60s, Gandhi Sanjay returned home from England. At this time, his mother is the Prime Minister of India, which opens up a wide range of opportunities for her. Knowing this, Sanjay persuades Indira to help him with the opening of the first independent automobile plant in the country, which, although not immediately, she agrees.
Gandhi Sanjay calls his company “Maruti”. In his dreams, he sees her as a worthy competitor to foreign manufacturers. However, in reality, the implementation of his project hardly reached the stage of construction of the plant itself. Due to economic illiteracy, the Prime Minister’s son did not notice how his subordinates were stealing the entire budget allocated by the state.
As a result, Gandhi Sanjay failed the task set for him. During his life, the Indian auto industry did not produce a single car, which was one of the largest defeats in his biography.
Entering the political arena of India
Gandhi Sanjay began to take the first steps to the political Olympus in 1971. Then he was captured by the spirit of power. He believed that present-day India lacks strong leaders who can lead it out of the crisis. Given the influence of his family, it is not surprising that the young politician went to Congress without unnecessary difficulties.
Another important incentive was his wedding with Maneke Anand. Sanjay’s wife had dizzying ambitions and constantly said that she wanted to see her husband in the chair of the country's prime minister. Thus, the newly made politician was forced to comply with the wishes of his wife and do everything possible in order to justify them.
Impact on the political situation in the country
In 1975, India went through one of the most difficult periods of its existence. Prolonged droughts and political intrigues led to the fact that in the country one after another waves of protest flare up among the starving population. All discontent is competently directed towards the current Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi. The reason is the current opposition, which wants to overthrow the prime minister.
But the "steel" lady of India did not want to give up. In order to suppress the troubles, it introduces a state of emergency in the country. Such a move allowed her to suppress by force all discontent among the people, but for the congress she needed a completely different tactic. And then her son, Sanjay Gandhi, comes into play.
With ties and a head on his shoulders, he, like a spider, begins to weave a web of intrigue inside the parliament. It was thanks to his efforts that the main opponents of Indira were overthrown, which allowed her to crush the rest of the opposition.
Own political program
Sanjay Gandhi is a politician whose name today is rarely remembered with admiration. The thing is that he was remembered by his people as a man who did not want to see anything but his ambitions. For example, in order to clean up the city, he demolished most of the houses in the slums, leaving thousands of people homeless.
In addition, he introduced a program according to which all men with more than three children should be forced to sterilize. At the same time, his project not only passed the vote, but also began to be put into practice. As a result, more than 20 thousand Indians were forced to survive the unimaginable nightmare and humiliation.
Nevertheless, the rule of Sanjay Gandhi did not last long. In June 1980, he died in a plane crash, the causes of which even today remain a mystery.