Indira’s cabinet wanted India to take Lahore, but she declared cease-fire

Oct 30, 2024 | 20:43 IST

Indira Gandhi addressing an election meeting in Calcutta, 1977 (Photo: TOI Archives)

An obituary of Indira Gandhi by a close associate revealed how she handled various major events during public life including the split in the Congress, the birth of Bangladesh and the Emergency

This obituary - which is being reproduced in its entirety - was published in the Times of India in 1984, after the assassination of Indira Gandhi on October 31. The obituary was written by Dr Rafiq Zakaria, who was an eminent Islamic scholar, writer, educationist and a Congress MP.

Was Indira Gandhi, who created such a worldwide impact as an outstanding ruler, groomed to be Prime Minister? The answer is "yes" and "no". By circumstances and training “yes", by design and manoeuvring "no". In fact her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, always denied it, when questioned and even Indira, when the offer suddenly came to her on the unexpected death of Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent in January 1966 showed genuine reluctance to accept it.

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Indira’s cabinet wanted India to take Lahore, but she declared cease-fire

An obituary of Indira Gandhi by a close associate revealed how she handled various major events during public life including the split in the Congress, the birth of Bangladesh and the Emergency

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TOI

Indira’s cabinet wanted India to take Lahore, but she declared cease-fire

An obituary of Indira Gandhi by a close associate revealed how she handled various major events during public life including the split in the Congress, the birth of Bangladesh and the Emergency

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