5 Controversies That Kept Indira Gandhi In News

Thirty three years have been passed when India’s first Prime Minister Indira Gandhi fell to assassins by her Sikh body guards Beant Singh and Satwant Singh on October 31, 1984. Counted among the most charismatic leaders, Indira Gandhi was labeled as a dumb doll when she stepped into the political arena. But, proving everyone wrong dumb doll acquired the status of ‘Iron Lady’.

With the accomplishments in her political career Indira name was also associated with various controversies. The stains of the controversies are so deep that it still haunts even after her death.

Here are the controversies associated with her-

# 1975 Emergency and Indira Gandhi

The 1975 Emergency is considered to be the darkest chapter in Indian Politics reportedly considered as the result of Indira’s dogmatic principles. It is said that she tried to silence her opponents ranging from politics to the media. During this Sanjay Gandhi was allegedly accused of political discrimination and harassing opponents. Censoring the media during emergency she was compared with Hitler by her opponents. The scars of emergency marked her defeat in the 1977 elections and also her father Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s friend Jayprakash Narayan joined hands with other opposition parties stood against her.

# Operation Blue star

Operation Bluestar is one of the black chapters of independent India that either a common or Indira’s political heir and her party want to remember. In 80’s the separatist in Punjab’s province were at their peak. Indira’s operation Bluestar was a decision to suppress the emergence of Sikh extremism in Punjab. Under this operation the armed troops of the Indian Army had entered the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. Golden Temple witnessed heavy bloodshed and it ended by removing possession of Sikh separatists’ from the complex. The consequences of the flames of Operation Bluestar were so dangerous that it led to the death of Indira.

# Accepting foreign help in internal affairs

The revelation of Indira allegedly accepting foreign help during Operation Bluestar came as a major shock to everyone. However, Foreign Secretary William Hague in his recent statement said that Britain did advise India on planning a deadly attack against Sikh separatists in the Golden Temple at Amritsar in 1984, but suggestion had limited impact. The nature of the UK`s assistance was purely advisory, limited and provided to the Indian government at an early stage.

# Sterilization law

To control the population of the country Indira Gandhi took stringent unpopular decision where people were being forcefully sterilized. The people were mistreated and forced for sterilization. It is said that she took this decision on the advice of her son Sanjay Gandhi. However the decision was to take a control on the population of the country. But the government’s forceful sterilization made ??it unpopular among ordinary people, including opposition parties and Indira Gandhi's government faced enormous anger.

# Irregularities and electoral corruption charges

Indira Gandhi’s slogan of poverty alleviation in the 1971 elections made her win 352 Loksabha seats. However, under the anti-poverty program, only 4% of the entire fund for economic development was allocated only for three major programs. Not everyone knew that on June 12, 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was found guilty of electoral corruption by the Allahabad High Court. She was banned from contesting elections for six years. But Indira had ignored the court’s order. Meanwhile, all the anti-Indira people united and an atmosphere of protest was created against her. Allegedly Indira crushing all these protests across the country declared emergency on June 25, 1975. The emergency lasted nearly 21 months.