On 31st October 2020, thirty six years are over ever since former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards. She was assassinated in Delhi on 31st October 1984.
She was the only child of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru. Born in a politically influenced dynasty and growing in an intense political atmosphere, Indira Gandhi had learnt the real politics from the childhood itself.
Indira Gandhi was the only woman to hold the office of Indian Prime Minister. She became Prime Minister of India in January 1966 and continued to serve as a Prime Minister till she lost the power in 1977. In 1980 she came back to power once again with thumping majority in the Parliament.

During her Prime Ministerial tenure, she brought radical changes in the country’s economic, political, international and national policies. She oversaw the implementation of three Five-year plans. Out of the same, two five year plans were highly successful in meeting the targeted growth.
In 1969, Indira Gandhi took a courageous decision to nationalize fourteen major commercial banks. Just after nationalizing these banks, the branches of the public sector banks in India rose to approximate 800 percent in deposits.
Because of her pro poor policies, Indira Gandhi was enjoying tremendous popularity among the poor and middle class Indian people. She became highly popular just after nationalizing the banks.
She also took the drastic decision to nationalize the coal, steel, copper, refining, cotton textiles, and insurance industries. Her main aim was to protect employment, secure the interest of the organized labor, and to bring these sectors under a strict regulatory control.
In July 1971, Indira Gandhi introduced 26th amendment to the Indian constitution and abolished privy purses and the recognition granted to the rulers of Indian states.
To liberate East Bengal from Pakistan once and for all, in December 1971, Indira Gandhi took a firm decision to declare a war against Pakistan. The bitter war between India and Pakistan lasted 13 days that had led to division of Pakistan and the creation of Bangladesh. Indian military fought bravely with the full support of Indira Gandhi, and they succeeded in liberating Bangladesh.

In 1971 war, U.S.A. was siding with Pakistan and they tried to threaten India by sending their Seventh Naval Fleet to Indian Ocean. But the determined and defiant Indira Gandhi told American government that they cannot frighten India by such moves.
Her decisive action to liberate Bangladesh despite receiving stern warning from U.S. President Richard Nixon, had even been admired by a towering opposition leader like Vajapayee. Overwhelmed by her courage and determination to divide Pakistan, Vajapayee had introduced Indira Gandhi as an avatar of Durga in Rajya Sabha. She was also widely popular among the international political leaders.
Just after the 1971 war against Pakistan, India faced widespread Oil crisis. Indira Gandhi immediately nationalized the oil companies and formed Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and the Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) in the intention of bringing them in a regulatory control and to reserving adequate oil stock to utilize the same in the event of war or scarcity of oil.

She was fearless and led India in a most difficult times. Despite facing severe financial crisis in the country and not getting support from the world leaders, she still led a decisive war against Pakistan and won the war. After the war, till now Pakistan never dared a direct war with India.
During the 1971 war, Russia helped India lot and it was the beginning of Indo-Russia relationship following which Russia became India’s biggest trading partner.

During her prime ministerial tenure, India witnessed Green Revolution that has brought remarkable change in the agricultural production in India. She was mainly focusing on the growth, stability and progressive achievement of self-reliance.
Indira Gandhi’s “Garibi Hatao” slogan was widely popular in India. During her Prime Ministerial tenure she tried her level to bring down the poverty from the grass root level.
For the betterment of Indian people she implemented 20 point program and she vehemently tried to implement the same.
In 1984, Indira Gandhi ordered a “Blue Star” military operation to flush out the entire well armed Sikh Militants holed up in Harmandir Sahib Complex (Golden Temple) who were accumulating deadly arms and ammunitions to wage war against India. This deadly operation started on 1st June 1984 and completed on 8th June 1984. Prior to the Blue Star Military Operation, Indira Gandhi tried her level best to persuade Sikh Militant leader to surrender.
She was a good decision maker, courageous, good orator, women in action, charismatic, exceptional administrator, visionary, determined, good personality to impress, induce and implement, controlling the male dominated Congress party in a strict manner, dare to talk to any leaders regardless whether they like it or not.
Indira Gandhi was highly intelligent, highly motivated, risk taking leader. She was popularly known as the “Iron Lady” of India, who took bold and historic decisions of far reaching consequences and implementing the same despite tough oppositions. She earned remarkable reputation across the globe as a ‘statesman’.

She was very bold and self confident. She never hesitated or doubted about her decisions and she had the courage to implement the same.

She was always listening the advice of bureaucracy as well as senior congress party leaders. But she never depend on any single person for making crucial and decisive decisions. She never ever compromised her decisions when she knew she was right.
She got a tremendous capacity to fight back whenever she faced set back in politics. Just after the Internal emergency era, in 1977, she herself and the congress party faced humiliating defeat in the Parliamentary election. But within three years she came back to power once again with thumping majority in the parliament.
Indira Gandhi taken a bold decision to provide statehood for Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and declared Chandigarh and Arunachal Pradesh as a union territory.
During her Prime Ministerial tenure, Sikkim became the 22nd state of India on May 16, 1975 and her influence brought Nepal and Bhutan aligning with India.
Her policies were the main instrumental in creating Green Revolution in India. That has helped in bringing down the import of agricultural items in India.

Indira Gandhi was the leader who was widely getting admiration for her enemies also. She was the strongest politician and Prime Minister India ever seen and her contribution towards the country will be remembered forever.