A homage to Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India on the eve of his 20th death anniversary by Bishwa Nath Singh. as flashed on the f.b. on May 21,2011

A homage to Rajiv Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India on the eve of his 20th death anniversary by Bishwa Nath Singh.


.(by Bishwa Nath Singh on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at 2:03pm.)

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Rajiv Gandhi was born on August 20, 1944 at Mumbai in India who had entered politics only after the death of his brother, Sanjay Gandhi in 1980. He had not shown much interest in politics till his younger brother had died and his mother pressed him to join politics He was born into the country's eminent political dynasty - the Nehru-Gandhi family. He was the eldest son of Feroz Gandhi and Indira Priyadarshini Gandh His grandfather Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India who had held the high office for seventeen years whereas his mother Indira Gandhi was the first and the only woman Prime Minister of India. His father Feroze Gandhi was a key member of the Indian National Congress who had become the editor of The National Herald newspaper founded by Motilal Nehru in Allahabad and later on, he had become the Member of Parliament who was known for his oratory and truthfulness. His parents lived separately and Rajiv Gandhi was raised at his grandfather's home where her mother lived.Rajiv Gandhi initially attended the Welham Boys' School and subsequently sent to the elite Doon School in Dehradun of Uttranchal of India.Later, he went to the United Kingdom to study at the Cambridge University. It was here in Cambridge University, young Rajiv Gandhi had met Sonia Maino (later Sonia Gandhi) from Italy In 1964 Sonia had gone to study English at the Bell Educational Trust's language school in the city of Cambridge in 1964. S had met Rajiv Gandhi, who was enrolled in Trinity College at the University of Cambridge in 1965 at a Greek restaurant while working there, as a waitress to make ends meet. Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi married in 1968, following which she moved into the house of her mother-in-law and then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. After his return from the United Kingdom, Rajiv Gandhi had exhibited least interest in the politics and focused onto becoming a professional pilot. He, later, worked for Indian Airlines, as a pilot. was a professional Pilot for Indian airlines. He was an active amateur radio operator, and used the callsign VU2RG. Sanjay Gandhi who was born on December 14, 1946 and died on June 23, 1980 was his younger brother who was two years younger to him had already entered politics and became an aid to her mother Indira Gandhi Sanjay's died on June 23, 1980 in Plane crash while flying., After his brother death , Rajiv gandhi entered politics at the instance of his mother. In 1981, He won his first Lok Sabha, later within a short period he had held a position as General Secretary of the Congress Party. He was in West Bengal when his mother was assassinated on October 31, 1984 by her bodyguards. Top Congress leaders, as well as President Zail Singh pressed Rajiv to become India's Prime Minister, within hours of his mother's assassination by two of her Sikh bodyguards. Commenting on the anti-Sikh riots in the national capital Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi said, "When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes"; a statement for which he was not taken very kindly by most of perople.. Many Congress politicians were accused of orchestrating the violence. Soon after assuming office, Rajiv Gandhi requested President Zail Singh to dissolve Parliament and hold fresh elections, as the Lok Sabha completed its five year term. Rajiv Gandhi also officially became the President of the Congress party. The Congress party won a landslide victory — with the largest majority in history of Indian Parliament giving Rajiv Gandhi absolute control of Union Government. He also benefited from his youth and a general perception of being Mr. Clean, or free of a background in corrupt politics. Rajiv thus revived hopes and enthusiasm amongst the Indian public for the Congress. He had increased Union Government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defense and telecommunications. He introduced measures significantly reducing the License Raj, allowing businesses and individuals to purchase capital, consumer goods and import without bureaucratic restrictions. In1986, he announced a National Policy on Education to modernize and expand higher education program across India. He founded the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya System in 1986 which is a Central government based institution that concentrates on the upliftment of the rural section of the society providing them free residential education from 6th till 12 grade. His efforts created MTNL in 1986, and his public call offices, better known as PCOs, helped spread telephones in rural areas. He was the seventh and youngest Prime Minister of India from October 31, 1984 to December 2, 1989. As a Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi had made a valuable contribution in modernizing Indian administration. He had the vision and foresight to see that information technology will play a key role in the twenty first century and worked actively to develop India's capacity in this realm. He had improved mutual relations with the United States and expanded economic and scientific cooperation and also he increased government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tax on technology-based industries, especially computers, defense, airlines, and telecommunications. In 1986,. In his initial days as Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was immensely popular. During his tenure as Prime Minister of India, he brought certain dynamism to the premiership, which had always been occupied by older people. He is credited with promoting the introduction of computers in India. He began leading in a direction significantly different from Indira Gandhi's socialism. He improved bilateral relations with the United States and expanded economic and scientific cooperation. He increased government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defense and telecommunications. He worked towards reducing the red tape in the governance and freeing administration from bureaucratic tangles. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced a national education policy to modernize and expand higher education programs across India. He had authorized an extensive police and army campaign against the militants in Punjab. Rajiv's government suffered a major setback when its efforts to broker peace between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE rebels backfired. As per the peace accords signed in 1987, the LTTE would disarm to the Indian Peace Keeping Force which was sent to Sri Lanka. But distrust and a few incidents of conflict broke out into open fighting between the LTTE militants and Indian soldiers. Over a thousand Indian soldiers were killed, and at last Rajiv Gandhi had to pull out Indian forces from Sri Lanka. It was a failure of Rajiv's diplomacy. Although Rajeev Gandhi promised to end corruption, he and his party were themselves implicated in corruption scandals. The major scandal being Bofors Gun scandal involving alleged payoffs by the Swedish Bofors arms company. In 1988, Rajiv reversed the coup in Maldives antagonizing the militant Tamil outfits such as PLOTE. He was also responsible for first intervening and then sending Indian troops (Indian Peace Keeping Force or IPKF) for peace efforts in Sri Lanka in 1987, which soon ended in open conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group. In mid-1987, the Bofors scandal broke his honest, corruption-free image and resulted in a major defeat for his party in the 1989 elections. He had remained Congress President until the elections in 1991. The scandal rapidly had eroded his popularity and he lost the next general elections held in 1989. A coalition comprising government came to the power but it could not last its full term and general elections were called in 1991. Nevertheless to mention that Rajiv Gandhi being the Prime Minister of India from October 31, 1984 to December 2,1989 had also serve d as Union Minister of External Affairs from October 31, 1984 to September 25,1985 and from July 25,1987 to June 25,1988. Union Minister of Finance from January 24, 1987 to July 25, 1987 and Union Minister of Defense from September 25,1985 to January 24,1987 While campaigning for elections in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, Rajiv Gandhi as the President of All India Congress Party was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a suicide bomber belonging to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE.).He is widely remembered as the most dynamic Prime Minister and President of All India Congress Party who was known for his passion and wisdom.. His legacy is being carried ot very well by his wife Sonia Gandhi who became the leader of the Congress party in 1998, and led the party to victory in the 2004 & 2009 election of lower house who continues to be the Member of Parliament and Chair person of UPA. His son Rahul Gandhi is a Member of Parliament and the General Secretary of All India Congress Committee where his daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra though married but a great figure in Public’s view draws huge crowd wherever she goes ror canvassing for her mother and brother during Poll period..Rajiv Gandhi was posthumously awarded the highest National Award of India, Bharat Ratna in 1991. . Let us pay our humble obeisance to his lotus feet and pay our respectful homage to that great son of India on the eve of his twentieth death anniversary!

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Photos:  (1)Rajiv Gandhi had served India as Prime Minister fromfrom October 31, 1984 to December 2, 1989. (2)Rajiv Gandhi was seen congratulating an Indian Army explorer for reaching the South Pole while he was the Prime Minister of India. (3)The stone mosaic that stands at the location where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur May 21, 1991 (4)The Rajiv Gandhi Memorial at Sriperumbudur. and (5)The Rajiv Gandhi Memorial 


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Bishwa Nath Singh :

During his tenure as Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi was immensely popular. During his tenure as Prime Minister of India from October 31, 1984 to December 2, 1989 , he had brought certain dynamism to the premiership, which had always ...been occupied by older people. He is credited with promoting the introduction of computers in India. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi began leading in a direction significantly different from Indira Gandhi's socialism. He improved bilateral relations with the United States and expanded economic and scientific cooperation. He increased government support for science and technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defence and telecommunications. He worked towards reducing the red tape in the governance and freeing administration from bureaucratic tangles. In 1986, Rajiv Gandhi announced a national education policy to modernize and expand higher education programs across India.He had authorized an extensive police and army campaign against the militants in Punjab. Rajiv's government suffered a major setback when its efforts to broker peace between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE rebels backfired. As per the peace accords signed in 1987, the LTTE would disarm to the Indian Peace Keeping Force which was sent to Sri Lanka. But distrust and a few incidents of conflict broke out into open fighting between the LTTE militants and Indian soldiers. Over a thousand Indian soldiers were killed, and at last he had to pull out Indian forces from Sri Lanka. While campaigning for elections in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, He was assassinated on May 21, 1991 by a suicide bomber belonging to LTTE.He was posthumously awarded the highest National Award of India, Bharat Ratna in 1991Let us join to pay our humble obeisance to his lotus feet and offer our respectful homage and floral tribute to him on the eve of his twentieth death anniversary!

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May 21,2011