Z.E.
Iskakova¹, D.M. Kokeyeva², A.A. Mustafayeva3
Al-Farabi
Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Indira
Gandhi and her historical role
In
the elections in January 1977 opposition united in the party "Bharatiya
Janata Party", with the slogan "Indira hatao" - "Down with
the Indira!" Defeat of the Premiere was a resounding: even her own party
excluded her from its ranks. But Indira again appeared stoic unbreakable: she
created from her supporters a new batch of the Congress (I) - "I" in
parentheses referred to "Indira" and simultaneously
"India". Hospitably open gate of her house were pulled by pilgrims
from all over the country - some complained, others with advice on how to build
the country. She accepted and listened to everyone, simultaneously criticizing
the government opposition, which really was helpless and completely corrupt.
Besides heterogeneous enemies of Gandhi quickly quarreled with each other.
Their attempt to put the prime minister in prison, accusing her of stealing
chickens and eggs, has failed miserably and only added Gandhi popularity.
In
the spring of 1980 were held early elections, in which her party
returned to power. Indira was able to create her own image, in modern language-
style. On the election day she arrived to the parliament building in a modest
Indian production automobile, she was wearing a sari from homespun yarn - a
symbol of loyalty to Gandhism, on her shoulders - Kashmiri shawl as a sign of
belonging to an ancient family, pinned to the shawl was purple bud rose - a
symbol of his father.
The
final conflict, which cost the life of Indira Gandhi, erupted in the state of
Punjab, the settlement of bearded militant Sikhs. Having long been making elite
Indian army and civil service, they demanded the creation of their own state
Khalistan. At the command of their leader Dzharnala Bhindranvale Singh, Sikh
terrorists began to attack innocent Indian people living in the state, seeking
ethnic "cleansing." Then they occupied the huge Golden Temple in
Amritsar, turning it into their main pedestal. This was the last straw: in June
1984 Gandhi ordered the army to occupy the temple. "Operation Blue
Star" held unsuccessfully, assigning it to the day of the Sikh festival
when the temple was full of peaceful pilgrims. In the massacre more than a
thousand people were killed, and the temple was partly destroyed, which was hit
by tank shots. Bhindranvale was killed, but the other terrorist leaders escaped
and made no secret of their plans to take revenge on the Prime
Minister.
On
the morning of October 31, 1984, Indira was killed by her own bodyguards Sikhs.
In 1984 Indira Gandhi became the victim of assassination. She was killed by one
of her guards, who decided to take revenge for the head of the government for
cracking down the coreligionists - Sikhs. Indira literally died at the hands of
Sonia, who ran out into the yard at the sound of gunfire. Her son Rajiv, who
previously avoided political activities led the Congress and won a landslide
victory in parliamentary elections. Consolidation of forces around Rajiv and
Congress helped the memory of Indira Gandhi, the Indian nations’ sympathy for
family affected by terrorism. As Prime Minister Rajiv continued political line
of his grandfather and mother, clearly showed himself on the world stage. In
May 21, 1991 Rajiv was also killed by the explosion, arranged by terrorists -
this time by Tamil. In this case, the roots of the tragedy were the ethnic
conflicts. The fact that the Indian government has supported the Sri Lankan
authorities in combating separatist insurgency in the north. Rebels of the
organization "Tamil Tigers" actively used in their fight acts of
self-sacrifice where they had sent the woman kamikaze to the polling rally
involving Rajiv. She blew hidden under her clothing charge at the moment Ravij
approached the crowd.
All
these tragedies have increased the disgust of his wife Sonia Gandhi to
"communalism" - policy of opposition of people of different beliefs
and ethnicity to each other. And this credo brought Sonja to the path of
political activity, continuing the work of her husband. During the premiership
of her husband in 1984-1989s, as the "First Lady", Sonia Gandhi had
to carry out public activities. After the assassination of Rajiv some members
of the Congress Party asked her to start political activities, mainly due to
the fact that she belonged to the family of Gandhi. However, Sonia Gandhi
refused and for the next six years avoided politics. After her refusal
Narasimha Rao became party leader. Years following the death of Gandhi, the
Congress was in the brink of political collapse. Without the kind of charisma
of Gandhi-Nehru fetish for nearly 40 years, the Congress could not win.
Sonia
Gandhi agreed to take part in the election campaign of the Congress, despite
the absolute lack of political experience. In 1998, she still decided to start
a political career and was elected to the presidency of the Congress at the
time it lost its dynamism and political influence in the country. Sonya had a
difficult task at hand, to regain the popularity of Congress and win the
political contest; Bharatiya Janata Party was in power all these years, and was
betting on inflation of nationalist sentiments among Indians. Quiet and calm,
seemingly not very catchy Sonia was able organizer and a very persuasive
speaker. She was re-elected as a chair of the Congress in 2000 and 2005. In
2004, under her leadership, the party came to power, and Sonia, according to
the political tradition, was to become Prime Minister. However, Sonia came
under a hail of criticism because of her Italian origin and refused the post.
Sonia proved to be antithesis of politicians for whom the main thing was to
stay in power at any cost. She also decided that her main priority is the fate
the country and not herself. She had a fairly good reason to believe that her
post as a prime minister could cause political crisis coupled with economic
shocks. Foreign-born head of the Congress from time to time causes fermentation
in Indian political circles. Sonia Gandhi was trying not to give it much
importance. "I never felt that I was perceived as a foreigner - admitted
Sonia Gandhi once again. - This is so, because I am not a foreigner. I am an
Indian."
Her
good name was unshakable after Congress’s victory during parliamentary
elections in 2004. Indian politicians believe that today there is no leader who
could compare with Sonia Gandhi's authority and compete for the presidency.
During the election campaign, Sonia Gandhi collected thousands crowd solely by
her appearance. Speeches were given in Hindi.
3
September 2010, all the world's news agencies reported that Sonia Gandhi was
re-elected chairman of the Indian National Congress for the fourth consecutive
time by a panel of nearly 8000 delegates representing all the regional branch
of the party.
Despite
the fact that Sonia Gandhi was the first foreign leader of the Congress after
India's independence in 1947, for the whole history of the party it is - the
sixth foreigner. All previous leaders were British. The first was William
Wedderburn in 1889. Among the foreign leaders INC were two women: Theosophist
and political activist Annie Besant (1917) and Nellie Sengupta (1931) - an
English woman who married an Indian.
Total
number of female who headed INC was five. Sonia Gandhi is also the fifth
representative of Nehru-Gandhi Clan to lead the party. The first of Nehru’s in
the head of Congress was lawyer Motilal Nehru, who was elected in 1919 and in
1928. In 1929, he was succeeded by his son, Jawaharlal, who was elected seven
times. But only Sonia Gandhi held the post of president of INC 12 years,
putting a record in terms of length of stay at the head of the party. Even her
mother in law Indira Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira's father headed the
Congress of seven years each.
Today Sonia
Gandhi continues to play an active role in the political life of India as the
Chairman of the Congress, speaking for the rights of women. Increasingly
prominent parts in the work of the party take Sonia Rajiv’s children - son
Rahul and daughter Priyanka. In past elections, Rahul won the parliamentary
seat in Uttar Pradesh, which was previously held by his father, and was elected
one of the Secretaries-General of the Indian National Congress. The tradition of
the "political family."
References:
1.Vokrug sveta, ¹8 (2803), Avgust 2007 Rubrika «Lûdi i sudʹby»
2. Salganik M.L. Indira Gandi - krug
odinochestva ( 90 letiû so dniya rojdeniya)// Kulʹtura i vremya, 2007, 4 ¹।
3. Gorev ē kamala barābara śabanama. Indirā
gāndhī: Kalpnaen aor uplabdhiyan. Ēma, 1990
4.Bongard-Levin GM,
Ilyin GF India in ancient times. M., 1985.
5.Gurevich PS Philosophy
of culture. M., 1994