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141-581: Digvijaya Singh (born 28 February 1947) is an Indian politician and a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha since 2014. He is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and Ex-General Secretary of the Indian National Congress party's All India Congress Committee . Previously, he had served as the 14th and 15th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh , a central Indian state, in two terms from 1993 to 1998 and from 1998 to 2003. Prior to that he
282-482: A National Policy on Education to modernise and expand higher education programs across India. In 1986, he founded the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya System, which is a Central government-based education institution that provides rural populations with free residential education from grades six to twelve. His efforts created MTNL in 1986, and his public call offices—better known as PCOs—helped develop
423-650: A motion of no confidence is passed against the ruling majority party or coalition. Vidhan Parishad, also called as the State Legislative Council, is the upper house in those states of India that have a bicameral state legislature ; the lower house being the State Legislative Assembly . Its establishment is defined in Article 169 of the Constitution of India . Only 6 out of 28 states have
564-620: A secular and socialist state as per the Constitution. There is a provision for a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house , the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), which represents the states of the Indian federation, and a lower house , the Lok Sabha (House of the People), which represents the people of India as a whole. The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary , which
705-471: A Legislative Council. These are Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , Telangana , Maharashtra , Bihar , and Uttar Pradesh . No union territory has a legislative council. The size of the State Legislative Council cannot be more than one third of the membership of the State Legislative Assembly. However, its size cannot be less than 40 members. These members elect the chairman and Deputy Chairman of
846-701: A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) as independent candidate for the Raghogarh Vidhan Sabha constituency following the 1951 elections. He was educated at The Daly College , Indore and the Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) Indore, where he completed his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering. Since 1969, he was married to Asha Singh, who died in 2013, and with whom he has four daughters and
987-609: A Minister of State and later a Cabinet Minister in the Madhya Pradesh state government led by Arjun Singh , whom he has called his mentor, between 1980 and 1984. He was president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee between 1985 and 1988, having been nominated by Rajiv Gandhi , and was re-elected in 1992. He had been elected as a member of the 8th Lok Sabha , the lower house of the Parliament of India , in
1128-525: A State Legislative Assembly must have no less than 60 and no more than 500 members however an exception may be granted via an Act of Parliament as is the case in the states of Goa , Sikkim , Mizoram and the union territory of Puducherry which have fewer than 60 members. A State Legislative Assembly may be dissolved in a state of emergency , by the Governor on request of the Chief Minister , or if
1269-512: A criminal one might be, his religious traditions should be respected while burying him." Congress's leadership distanced itself from his views. Singh later said that his statement should not be interpreted as support for or opposition to bin Laden, adding "I had merely said that the worst of criminals should be cremated according to their faith. He is a terrorist and he deserved the treatment that he got." In March 2022, Digvijay Singh along with six others
1410-474: A degree, though he kept in touch with his former mentor in his retirement. In 1966 he began a course in mechanical engineering at Imperial College London , but also failed to complete it. Gandhi really was not studious enough, as he went on to admit later. Gandhi returned to India in 1966, the year his mother became prime minister . He went to Delhi and became a member of the Flying Club , where he trained as
1551-431: A few days it seemed that India had been shaken. But, when a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it does shake a little". According to Verinder Grover, the statement made by Gandhi was a "virtual justification" of the riots. Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar wrote, "Did it constitute an incitement to mass murder?" He also criticised Gandhi for his reluctance to bring the army from Meerut to handle
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#17329353830601692-603: A general perception of being free of a background in corrupt politics. Gandhi took his oath on 31 December 1984; at 40, he was the youngest prime minister of India. Historian Meena Agarwal writes that even after taking the Prime Ministerial oath, he was a relatively unknown figure, "novice in politics" as he assumed the post after being an MP for three years. After his swearing-in as prime minister, Gandhi appointed his fourteen-member cabinet. He said he would monitor their performance and would "fire ministers who do not come to
1833-435: A majority of members in their respective lower houses (Lok Sabha in the central government and Vidhan Sabha in states). India had its first general election in 1951, which was won by the Indian National Congress , a political party that went on to dominate subsequent elections until 1977 , when a non-Congress government was formed for the first time in independent India. The 1990s saw the end of single-party domination and
1974-524: A meeting of the All India Congress Committee . Vasantdada Patil proposed Rajiv as a candidate for the Amethi constituency , which was accepted by all members at the meeting. A week later, the party officially announced his candidacy for the constituency. He then paid the party membership fees of the party and flew to Sultanpur to file his nomination papers and completed other formalities. He won
2115-507: A member of one of the houses of bicameral Parliament of India , alongside heading the respective house. The prime minister and their cabinet are at all times responsible to the Lok Sabha. The prime minister is appointed by the president of India ; however, the prime minister has to enjoy the confidence of the majority of Lok Sabha members, who are directly elected every five years , lest the prime minister shall resign. The prime minister can be
2256-506: A member of the Lok Sabha or of the Rajya Sabha , the upper house of the parliament. The prime minister controls the selection and dismissal of members of the Union Council of Ministers ; and allocation of posts to members within the government. The Union Council of Ministers is the principal executive organ of the Government of India , which functions as the senior decision-making body of
2397-544: A minimum level of care at panchayat level by financing the training of locally nominated healthcare professionals. This mirrored his earlier efforts in education and was known as the Healthcare Guarantee Scheme. Chhattisgarh gained administrative independence from Madhya Pradesh in 2001 under the terms of the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act . Singh was directed by Sonia Gandhi to ensure
2538-672: A pass mark in chemistry. During Gandhi's final year at Doon, his mother and Albert D'Rozario, the scientific attaché at the Indian High Commission in London , arranged his application to Cambridge University . D'Rozario, who had been a college classmate of Gandhi's father Feroze, recommended that Gandhi should read engineering, and met with Mark Pryor , the Senior Tutor at Trinity College, Cambridge . Pryor arranged for Gandhi's conditional admission to Trinity, contingent on his passing
2679-418: A pilot. In 1970, he was employed as a pilot by Indian Airlines ; unlike Sanjay, he did not exhibit any interest of joining politics. In 1968, after three years of courtship, he married Edvige Antonia Albina Màino , who changed her name to Sonia Gandhi and made India her home. Their first child, a son, Rahul was born in 1970. In 1972, the couple had a daughter, Priyanka , who married Robert Vadra . Gandhi
2820-457: A professional pilot for the state-owned Indian Airlines . In 1968, he married Sonia Maino ; the couple settled in Delhi for a domestic life with their children Rahul and Priyanka . For much of the 1970s, his mother was prime minister and his younger brother Sanjay an MP ; despite this, Gandhi remained apolitical. After Sanjay died in a plane crash in 1980, Gandhi reluctantly entered politics at
2961-459: A set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of India can vote only in their constituency. The Prime Minister of India is the head of government of the Republic of India . Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the executive. The prime minister has to be
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#17329353830603102-496: A son Jaivardhan Singh , who was member of Madhya Pradesh's 14th Vidhan Sabha serving as the Cabinet Minister of Urban Development and Housing. In April 2014, he confirmed that he was in a relationship with a Rajya Sabha TV anchor Amrita Rai; they married in late August 2015. The sacred Narmada River, the lifeline of Central India, is worshipped as Narmada maiyya (mother) or Ma Rewa (derived from “rev” meaning leaping one). One of
3243-625: A state party, if: Registered unrecognized political parties are those parties which are either newly registered or which have not secured enough percentage of votes in the assembly or general elections to become a state party or those which have never contested elections since being registered. Registered but unrecognized political parties don’t enjoy all the benefits extended to the recognized parties. Rajiv Gandhi [REDACTED] Rajiv Gandhi ( / ˈ r ɑː dʒ iː v ˈ ɡ ɑː n d iː / ; Hindi pronunciation: [raːdʒiːʋ ɡaːndʱiː] ; 20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991)
3384-561: A symbol from a list of available symbols offered by the EC. Every political party in India, whether a national or regional/state party, must have a symbol and must be registered with the Election Commission of India . Symbols are used in the Indian political system to identify political parties in part so that illiterate people can vote by recognizing the party symbols. In the current amendment to
3525-670: A telegram from the Indian ambassador in Germany, stating that an Indian agents had received commissions in the HDW submarine deal. He told Rajiv Gandhi about this and instituted an enquiry. This led to differences and V. P. Singh resigned from the cabinet. In his book, Unknown Facets of Rajiv Gandhi, Jyoti Basu and Indrajit Gupta , released in November 2013, former CBI director Dr. A P Mukherjee wrote that Gandhi wanted commission paid by defence suppliers to be used exclusively for meeting running expenses of
3666-460: A thing for the use of the rich, but credit goes to Rajiv Gandhi for taking them to the rural masses". Pitroda also said their plan to expand India's telephone network succeeded because of Gandhi's political support. According to Pitroda, by 2007 they were "adding six million phones every month". Gandhi's government also allowed the import of fully assembled motherboards, which led to the price of computers being reduced. According to some commentators,
3807-573: A willingness to contest the 2014 Lok Sabha elections if Congress wanted him to do so; he also said that he would like to see his son as the incumbent of the Raghogarh constituency. His son, Jaivardhan , was accompanied by his father when he joined the INC in June 2013 after previous involvement in its youth section. Mool Singh, the incumbent MLA, announced then that he would not be contesting his Raghogarh Assembly seat in
3948-433: Is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India . In 22 states and 3 union territories , there is a unicameral legislature which is the sole legislative body. Vidhan Sabha is present in all the states and 3 union territories. Each Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is directly elected to serve 5-year terms by single-member constituencies . The Constitution of India states that
4089-568: Is a national endeavour. Chanderasekar withdrew the IPKF in 1989. On 30 July 1987, a day after Gandhi went to Sri Lanka and signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, an honour guard named Vijitha Rohana hit him on his shoulder with his rifle; Gandhi's quick reflexes saved him from injury. The guard was then dragged off by his security personnel. The guard said his intention was to kill Gandhi because of "the damage he had caused" to Sri Lanka. Wijemuni
4230-519: Is an initiative proposed in India to synchronize the schedules of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and state legislative assembly elections. The concept aims to conduct simultaneous elections for both central and state governments, a practice that was prevalent until 1967. Advocates argue that this approach would significantly reduce the burden on the public exchequer, minimize the disruption caused by frequent elections, and ensure more consistent policy implementation. However, it faces challenges, such as
4371-516: Is headed by the Supreme Court . The court's mandate is to protect the Constitution, to settle disputes between the central government and the states, to settle inter-state disputes, to nullify any central or state laws that go against the Constitution and to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, issuing writs for their enforcement in cases of violation. There are 543 members in the Lok Sabha, who are elected using plurality voting (first past
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4512-707: Is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces . The new president is chosen by an electoral college consisting of the elected members of both houses of parliament ( MPs ), the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies ( Vidhan Sabha ) of all States and the elected members of the legislative assemblies ( MLAs ) of union territories with legislatures, i.e., National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry . The election process of
4653-597: Is the very condition of human survival in our age. The foiled bid of India recently to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group , echoed his policy of non-proliferation to be linked to universal disarmament, which the World Nuclear Association refuses to recognise; non-proliferation being seen by India as essentially a weapon of the arms control regime, of the big nuclear powers as United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, and China. In February 1987,
4794-619: The 10th Lok Sabha . In 1993, he resigned from the Lok Sabha because he had been appointed Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. His brother, Lakshman Singh , had been elected in 1993 as a Congress MLA in Madhya Pradesh from the same Raghogarh assembly constituency that Digivijaya had previously held. Lakshman resigned from the seat in favour of Digvijaya, who needed to be elected to the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in order to fulfill his role as Chief Minister. However,
4935-458: The Batla House encounter case , which led to the death of two terrorists and one police officer, was fake. The Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram , dismissed Singh's claim and his demand for a further judicial investigation into it. Congress rejected his views that the encounter was stage-managed, stating that the encounter should not be politicised or raked up for political gains. Singh's stand on
5076-490: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India . Eminent lawyer and politician, former Law Minister of India Ram Jethmalani said that as prime minister, Gandhi was "lacklustre and mediocre". Rajiv Gandhi's last public meeting was on 21 May 1991, at Sriperumbudur , a village approximately 40 km (25 miles) from Madras (present-day Chennai), where he was assassinated while campaigning for
5217-553: The Constitution of India empowered to conduct free and fair elections in India . The Election commission is headed by a Chief Election Commissioner and consists of two other Election Commissioners . At the states and union territories , the Election Commission is assisted by the Chief Electoral Officer of the state or union territory (CEO), who leads the election machinery in the states and union territories. At
5358-630: The House of the People , is the lower house of India 's bicameral Parliament . Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past-the-post system to represent their respective constituencies , and they hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the President on the advice of the council of ministers . The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chambers of
5499-571: The Indian general election of 1984 , representing the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency . He was the first Congress politician to win the constituency, which had been created in 1977. Having won that contest by 150,000 votes, he lost the seat to Pyarelal Khandelwal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by 57,000 votes in the 1989 general election . He regained it in 1991 , becoming a member of
5640-632: The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in July 1987. The accord "envisaged a devolution of power to the Tamil-majority areas", dissolved the LTTE, and designated Tamil as an official language of Sri Lanka. Gandhi said: The Government of India believe that, despite some problems and delays, many of which were foreseen but unavoidable in the resolution of an issue of this magnitude and complexity, this Agreement represents
5781-577: The Janata Dal . Singh led the National Front coalition to victory in 1989 elections and he was sworn in as prime minister. Though the coalition won 143 seats compared to Congress's 197, it gained majority in the lower house of the parliament through outside support from the Bharatiya Janta Party under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani and the left parties such as
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5922-598: The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). His party was defeated in the 1989 election . Gandhi remained Congress president until the elections in 1991 . While campaigning for the elections, he was assassinated by a suicide bomber from the LTTE. In 1991, the Indian government posthumously awarded Gandhi the Bharat Ratna , the country's highest civilian award. At the India Leadership Conclave in 2009,
6063-469: The Lok Sabha , the Rajya Sabha is a continuing chamber and hence not subject to dissolution. However, the Rajya Sabha, like the Lok Sabha, can be prorogued by the president. The Rajya Sabha has equal footing in legislation with the Lok Sabha, except in the area of supply , where the latter has overriding powers. In the case of conflicting legislation, a joint sitting of the two houses can be held, where
6204-500: The Mandal Commission had been increased Dalit desires for self-assertion. His approach to reform in what was still largely a feudal society was driven by a top-down strategy to achieve Dalit and Tribal support, as opposed to the bottom-up strategy of other belt leaders such as Mayawati , who lacked Singh's upper caste/class status and harnessed the desire for empowerment in the depressed communities through identity politics . Among
6345-842: The Operation Black Thunder to clear the Golden Temple in Amritsar of arms and gunmen. Two groups called National Security Guard and Special Action Group were created; they surrounded the temple in a 10-day siege during which the extremists' weapons were confiscated. Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "Operation Black Thunder effectively demonstrated the will of Rajiv Gandhi's government to take firm action to bring peace to Punjab". Gandhi's prime-ministership marked an increase of insurgency in northeast India . Mizo National Front demanded independence for Mizoram . In 1987, Gandhi addressed this problem; Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh were given
6486-552: The Parliament House , New Delhi. The maximum membership of the House allotted by the Constitution of India is 552 (Initially, in 1950, it was 500.) Currently, the house has 543 seats which are filed by the election of up to 543 elected members. The new parliament has a seating capacity of 888 for Lok Sabha. A total of 131 seats (24.03%) are reserved for representatives of Scheduled Castes (84) and Scheduled Tribes (47) . The quorum for
6627-649: The President , is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. There are five categories of the council of ministers as given below, in descending order of rank : The Rajya Sabha , constitutionally the Council of States , is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India . It has a maximum membership of 250, of which 238 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using single transferable votes through open ballots, while
6768-521: The Rajiv-Longowal Accord with Akali leader HS Longowal. Punjab's state assembly election was scheduled in September 1985, but Longowal died and was replaced by Surjit Singh Barnala , who formed the government. After two years, in 1987, Barnala resigned his office because of a breakdown of law and order, leading to the implementation of President's rule in the state. In May 1988, Gandhi launched
6909-400: The Rajya Sabha the upper house . The judiciary systematically contains an apex supreme court , 25 high courts , and 688 district courts , all inferior to the supreme court. The basic civil and criminal laws governing the citizens of India are set down in major parliamentary legislation, such as the civil procedure code , the penal code , and the criminal procedure code . Similar to
7050-537: The State Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) – is a unicameral legislature. A state legislature that has two houses – the State Legislative Assembly and State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) – is a bicameral legislature. The Vidhan Sabha is the lower house and corresponds to the Lok Sabha while the Vidhan Parishad is the upper house and corresponds to the Rajya Sabha of the Parliament of India Vidhan Sabha, also known as State Legislative Assembly,
7191-467: The constitution in the prime minister , parliament , and the supreme court , respectively. The president of India is the head of state and the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces , while the elected prime minister acts as the head of the executive and is responsible for running the Union government. The parliament is bicameral in nature, with the Lok Sabha being the lower house , and
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#17329353830607332-457: The presidency . The vice president is also the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha . Article 66 of the Constitution of India states the manner of election of the vice president. The vice president is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament and not the members of state legislative assembly by the system of proportional representation using single transferable votes and
7473-542: The president can appoint 12 members for their contributions to art, literature, science, and social service. The total allowed capacity is 250 (238 elected, 12 appointed) according to article 80 of the Indian Constitution . The current potential seating capacity of the Rajya Sabha is 245 (233 elected, 12 appointed). Members sit for staggered terms lasting six years, with about a third of the 238 designates up for election every two years, in even-numbered years. Unlike
7614-544: The "whole gamut" of Rajiv Gandhi's foreign policy was "geared towards" making India "strong, independent, self-reliant and in the front rank of the nations of the world." According to Laskar , Rajiv Gandhi's diplomacy was "properly calibrated" so as to be "conciliatory and accommodating when required" and "assertive when the occasion demanded." In 1986, by request of the president of Seychelles France-Albert René , Gandhi sent India's navy to Seychelles to oppose an attempted coup against René. The intervention of India averted
7755-565: The 1930s". Israel has protested this comment. He believes the RSS was involved in a number of terrorist strikes including the Mumbai terror attacks . He requested a CBI enquiry into the murder of Sunil Joshi, an RSS pracharak involved in the Ajmer Dargah attack , alleging that Joshi was murdered because "he knew too much". Official website Indian politician Politics of India works within
7896-437: The 74th amendment to the Constitution, have Municipality but derive their powers from the individual state governments, while the powers of rural localities have been formalized under the panchayati raj system, under the 73rd amendment to the Constitution. The following 3 types of democratically elected urban local governance bodies in India are called municipalities and abbreviated as the "MC" . These are classified based on
8037-477: The Batla House encounter led to criticism from the opposition BJP. In 2013, Singh described Meenakshi Natarajan , a female Congress MP from Mandsaur , as " sau tunch maal " ("totally unblemished")—a colloquialism The Times of India described as "frequently used loosely to describe a woman as 'sexy'". Advocates for women's rights were upset by Singh's comment and called for Congress to act against him. However,
8178-556: The Belt such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh . Sudha Pai says, "He was driven by both the political imperative to sustain the base of the party among these social groups and ... a commitment to improving their socio-economic position." The "Dalit Agenda" that resulted from the Bhopal Conference in 2002 epitomised the strategy, which by Digvijaya Singh's time was more necessary than during Arjun Singh's period in power because one outcome of
8319-579: The Code. Indian magazine Business and Economics called it a minority appeasement by Gandhi. Lawyer and former Law Minister of India, Ram Jethmalani , called the Act "retrogressive obscurantism for short-term minority populism". Gandhi's colleague Arif Mohammad Khan , who was then a Member of Parliament, resigned in protest. In his election manifesto for the 1984 general election , he did not mention any economic reforms, but after assuming office he tried to liberalise
8460-660: The Congress party joined opposition parties. Rajiv Gandhi had announced 'Sandesh Yatra' at the plenary session of AICC in Mumbai in 1985. The All India Congress Seva Dal ran it across the country. Pradesh Congress Committees (PCCs) and party leaders made four simultaneous trips from Mumbai, Kashmir, Kanyakumari and the Northeast. The yatra, which lasted for more than three months, concluded at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan. In 1990, Rajiv Gandhi undertook Bharat Yatra through different modes – padyatra,
8601-466: The Congress party signed a proposal and went to Indira, urging Rajiv to enter politics. Indira told them it was Rajiv's decision whether to enter politics. When he was questioned about it, he replied, "If my mother gets help from it, then I will enter politics". Rajiv entered politics on 16 February 1981, when he addressed a national farmers' rally in Delhi. During this time, he was still an employee of Air India. On 4 May 1981, Indira Gandhi presided over
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#17329353830608742-428: The Congress party won the largest Lok Sabha majority to date, 414 seats out of 541 . Gandhi's period in office was mired in controversies such as Bhopal disaster , Bofors scandal and Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum . In 1988, he reversed the coup in Maldives , antagonising militant Tamil groups such as PLOTE , intervening and then sending peacekeeping troops to Sri Lanka in 1987, leading to open conflict with
8883-405: The Congress party. Mukherjee said Gandhi explained his position in a meeting between the two at the prime minister's residence on 19 June 1989. In May 2015, Indian president Pranab Mukherjee said the scandal was a "media trial" as "no Indian court has as yet established it as a scandal". Opposition parties Lok Dal, Indian National Congress (Socialist) and Jan Morcha united under Singh to form
9024-467: The House is 10% of the total membership. The Lok Sabha, unless sooner dissolved, continues to operate for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting. However, while a proclamation of emergency is in operation, this period may be extended by Parliament by law or decree. Members of Lok Sabha (House of the People) or the lower house of India's Parliament are elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of India, who crossed 18 years from
9165-692: The Lok Sabha in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The idea has been periodically revisited, with significant push in recent years from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party . When compared to other democracies, India has had a large number of political parties during its history under democratic governance. It has been estimated that over 200 parties were formed after India became independent in 1947.As per latest publications dated 23 March 2024 from Election Commission of India, and subsequent notifications, there are 6 national parties, 57 state parties, and 2,764 registered unrecognized parties. All registered parties contesting elections need to choose
9306-436: The Lok Sabha would hold a greater influence because of its larger membership. The vice president of India is the ex-officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who presides over its sessions. The deputy chairman , who is elected from amongst the house's members, takes care of the day-to-day matters of the house in the absence of the chairman. The President of India is the head of state of the Republic of India . The president
9447-461: The MP backed Singh and said he meant that she was like "pure gold"; The Times of India commented that " tunch maal " is "also a trade jargon among jewelers to describe the level of purity of the yellow metal" and added that Singh prefaced his comment about Natarajan by describing himself as a "political goldsmith". Singh criticised the United States in 2011 for not respecting Osama bin Laden 's religion when it buried him at sea , saying "however big
9588-774: The Mechanical Sciences Qualifying (MSQ) Examination with acceptable marks. After studying for his A-levels at the sixth form college of Davies, Laing & Dick in London, Gandhi sat the MSQ Examination in March 1962 but was unsuccessful. He passed on his second attempt in June, and was admitted to Trinity on 4 September 1962, joining the college in October. While at Trinity, he joined the Cambridge University Boat Club . During Gandhi's time at Cambridge, his mother and D'Rozario remained concerned about his well-being. D'Rozario, who along with his wife Sophy often hosted Gandhi at their Finchley home, took Gandhi to task for his inattention towards his studies. Despite his support, Gandhi failed end-of-year exams and left Trinity in 1965 without
9729-442: The Pakistani president Zia-ul-Haq visited Delhi, where he met Gandhi to discuss "routine military exercises of the Indian army" on the borders of Rajasthan and Punjab . Gandhi reciprocated, in December 1988, by visiting Islamabad and meeting the new prime minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto , to reaffirm the 1972 Shimla agreement . The Sri Lankan Civil War broke out with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which
9870-470: The Panchayati Raj and central government squabbled about the extent of their respective powers, and to frequent electrical power cuts . The latter resulted from thirty-two per cent of what had been the generation capacity of Madhya Pradesh now being in the new state of Chhattisgarh: while Chhattisgarh did not need all of that capacity, much of it had historically been used in the remainder of Madhya Pradesh, which now found itself having only around 50 per cent of
10011-409: The Parliament of India passed The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986 , which nullified the Supreme Court's judgment in the Shah Bano case. The Act diluted the Supreme Court judgment and allowed maintenance payments to divorced women only during the period of Iddah , or until 90 days after the divorce, according to the provisions of Islamic law. This was in contrast to Section 125 of
10152-592: The Revolutionary Leader of Modern India award was conferred posthumously on Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi was born in Bombay (Mumbai) on 20 August 1944 to Indira and Feroze Gandhi . In 1951, Rajiv and his younger brother Sanjay were admitted to Shiv Niketan school, where the teachers said Gandhi was shy and introverted, and "greatly enjoyed painting and drawing". He then studied at the St. Columba's School, Delhi . Thereafter, he
10293-583: The State Legislative Council. Local government in India is governmental jurisdiction below the level of the state . Local self-government means that residents in towns, villages and rural settlements are the people who elect local councils and their heads authorising them to solve the important issues. The 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments give recognition and protection to local governments and in addition each state has its own local government legislation. Since 1992, local government in India takes place in two very distinct forms. Urban localities, covered in
10434-518: The Swedish arms company Bofors through Italian businessman and Gandhi family associate Ottavio Quattrocchi , in return for Indian contracts. Upon discovering the scandal, Singh was dismissed from office and later resigned his Congress membership. Gandhi was later personally implicated in the scandal when the investigation was continued by Narasimhan Ram and Chitra Subramaniam of The Hindu newspaper, damaging his image as an honest politician. In 2004, he
10575-514: The Symbols Order, the commission has asserted the following five principles: A political party shall be eligible to be recognized as a national party if: Six national political parties are - Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , Indian National Congress (INC) , Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) , Communist Party of lndia (Marxist) (CPI-M) , Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and National People's Party (NPP) . A political party shall be entitled to be recognized as
10716-517: The Union government, individual state governments each consist of executive, legislative and judiciary branches. The legal system as applicable to the Union and individual state governments is based on the English common and Statutory Law . The term New Delhi is commonly used as a metonym for the Union government, as the seat of the central government is in New Delhi . The Lok Sabha , constitutionally
10857-622: The anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi said, "When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes"; a statement for which he was widely criticised. Many Congress politicians were accused of orchestrating the violence. Indian politics got the youngest ever Prime minister in Rajiv Gandhi. This phenomenon attracted attention the world over. . . his winsome smile, charm and decency were his valuable personal assets. . . A senior opposition member, while talking to me, conceded that . . . he could not conceal his feeling that Rajiv Gandhi would be invincible for
10998-416: The behest of his mother. The following year he won his brother's Parliamentary seat of Amethi and became a member of the Lok Sabha , the lower house of India's Parliament . As part of his political grooming, Rajiv was made general secretary of the Congress party and given significant responsibility in organising the 1982 Asian Games . On the morning of 31 October 1984, his mother (the then prime minister)
11139-583: The blessing of his spiritual guru Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati. The journey took them from Barman Ghat, on River Narmada southern banks, all the way to its mouth at Bharuch in Gujarat. At Bharuch, Mithi Talai is the point where the Narmada joins the Arabian Sea. Here they took a motorboat from the southern to the northern end and begin the return journey along its northern bank. On 9 April 2018 they completed
11280-456: The central authority at the centre and states at the periphery. The Constitution defines the organizational powers and limitations of both central and state governments; it is well recognised, fluid (Preamble of the Constitution being rigid and to dictate further amendments to the Constitution) and considered supreme, i.e. the laws of the nation must conform to it. India is officially declared
11421-508: The clock" on the 1982 Asian Games . He was one of 33 members of the Indian parliament who were part of the Games' organising committee; sports historian Boria Majumdar writes that being "son of the prime minister he had a moral and unofficial authority" over the others. The report submitted by the Asian Games committee mentions Gandhi's "drive, zeal and initiative" for the "outstanding success" of
11562-580: The constituency of Bhopal , but lost to Pragya Singh Thakur . In the 2024 Indian general election , he ran for Lok Sabha in the constituency of Rajgarh , and lost to BJP candidate Rodmal Nagar by a margin of 146,089 votes. In 1998, 19 to 24 farmers were shot dead by Madhya Pradesh police. Singh was Chief Minister of the state at the time and the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) blamed him for arresting farmers' leaders. A comment by Singh in 2011 led to disagreements within his party. He stated that
11703-499: The construction of thousands of new village schools under the EGS, and may have been significant in increasing the literacy rate in Madhya Pradesh from 45 per cent in 1991 to 64 per cent in 2001. The improvement among girls was particularly high, growing from 29 per cent to 50 per cent. In his second term as Chief Minister, Singh sought to extend his decentralising, socially beneficial ideas by instituting reforms in healthcare that would guarantee
11844-744: The country's economy. He sought to liberalise India's trade policies but faced stiff opposition to the proposed reforms. He did so by providing incentives to make private production profitable. Subsidies were given to corporate companies to increase industrial production, especially of durable goods . It was hoped this would increase economic growth and improve the quality of investment. Rural and tribal people protested because they saw them as "pro-rich" and "pro-city" reforms. Gandhi increased government support for science, technology and associated industries, and reduced import quotas, taxes and tariffs on technology-based industries, especially computers, airlines, defence and telecommunications. In 1986, he announced
11985-589: The coup. This mission was codenamed as Operation Flowers are Blooming . In 1987, India re-occupied the Quaid Post in the disputed Siachen region of the Indo-Pakistani border after winning what was termed Operation Rajiv . In the 1988 Maldives coup d'état , the Maldives president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom asked for help from Gandhi. He dispatched 1500 soldiers and the coup was suppressed. On Thursday, 9 June 1988, at
12126-596: The district and constituency levels, the District Magistrates/District Collectors (in their capacity as District Election Officers), Electoral Registration Officers and Returning Officers perform election work. The Election Commission operates under the powers granted by Article 324 of the Constitution and subsequently enacted Representation of the People Act . The state election commissions are responsible for conducting local body elections in
12267-523: The executive branch. It is chaired by the prime minister and consists of the heads of each of the executive government ministries. A smaller executive body called the Union Cabinet is the supreme decision-making body in India; it is a subset of the Union Council of Ministers who hold important portfolios and ministries of the government. Pursuant to Article 75, a minister who works at the pleasure of
12408-534: The exercise of seeking consensus because Shukla was the other main contender for the post. Subsequently, Singh met with Shukla in order to allay concerns. Singh won the Raghogarh constituency again in 2003 but his party overall was heavily defeated by the BJP, as it also was in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The defeat in Madhya Pradesh has been attributed in large part to deadlocks in the pursuit of development that had arisen as
12549-500: The existing convention against the military use of biological weapons. The ambit of our concern must extend to all means of mass annihilation . This was based on his prior historic speech before the Japanese National Diet on 29 November 1985, in which he said: Let us remove the mental partitions which obstruct the ennobling vision of the human family linked together in peace and prosperity. The Buddha's message of compassion
12690-554: The fifteenth special session of the United Nations General Assembly , held at Headquarters, New York, Gandhi made vocal his views on a world free of nuclear weapons, to be realised through an, 'Action Plan for Ushering in a Nuclear-Weapon Free and Non-Violent World Order.' He said: Alas, nuclear weapons are not the only weapons of mass destruction. New knowledge is being generated in the life sciences. Military applications of these developments could rapidly undermine
12831-512: The financial powers of the Panchayats and to constitute District Planning Committee to prepare a draft development plan for the district. The following 3 hierarchies of PRI panchayats exist in states or Union Territories with more than two million inhabitants: Elections in the Republic of India include elections for The Election Commission of India ( ECI ) is a constitutional body established by
12972-517: The five holy rivers of India, it is the only one which has the tradition of being circumambulated from source to sea and back, on a pilgrimage or yatra. Being the longest west-flowing river, the Narmada parikrama is a formidable spiritual exercise and challenge—an incredible journey of about 3,300 km. Digvijaya Singh along with his wife started the Narmada Parikrama on 30 September 2017, from Barman Ghat, on banks of river Narmada after taking
13113-571: The forthcoming elections, paving the way for Jaivardhan to be elected in a form of dynastic succession that is a feature of politics in India. In January 2014, he was elected as a member of parliament to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. Singh has been criticised by his opposition for corruption , which he denied. In 2011, a charge sheet was submitted in court against him but the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) determined in March 2014 that there
13254-499: The framework of the country's Constitution . India is a parliamentary secular democratic republic in which the president of India is the head of state & first citizen of India and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government . It is based on the federal structure of government, although the word is not used in the Constitution itself. India follows the dual polity system, i.e. federal in nature, that consists of
13395-433: The games. On 31 October 1984, the prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi's mother, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, which led to violent riots against Sikhs. Sources estimate the number of Sikh deaths to be between 8,000 and 17,000. At a Boat Club rally 19 days after the assassination, Gandhi said, "Some riots took place in the country following the murder of Indiraji. We know the people were very angry and for
13536-556: The leaders of the Akali Dal who had been imprisoned since 1984's Operation Blue Star during Indira Gandhi's prime ministership. He lifted the ban on All India Sikh Students Federation and filed an inquiry into the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots . He also held a closed-door meeting with senior Akali Dal leaders to find a solution to the Punjab problem. Despite Akali opposition, in January 1985, Gandhi signed
13677-430: The logistical complexities of conducting elections on such a large scale and concerns over the potential impact on the federal structure of governance. The proposal continues to spark significant debate among political parties, constitutional experts, and the general public in India. Simultaneous elections were common in India until 1967, but the practice ended due to the premature dissolution of some state assemblies and
13818-585: The mark". From the Third Indira Gandhi ministry , he removed two powerful figures; Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Railway Minister A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury . Mohsina Kidwai became the Minister of Railways; she was the only female figure in the cabinet. Former Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao was put in charge of defence . V. P. Singh , who was initially appointed as the Finance Minister ,
13959-493: The measures introduced to achieve his aim were the Education Guarantee Scheme (EGS), redistribution of common grazing land ( charnoi ) to landless dalits and tribals, free electricity for farmers, the promotion of Panchayati Raj as a means of delegating power to villagers and a supplier diversity scheme which guaranteed that thirty per cent of government supplies would be purchased from the disadvantaged groups. There
14100-566: The media for appointing many old boys to his administration. His inner circle was labelled a "Doon Cabinet" or "Dosco Mafia", and Washington Post reported, "The catch phrase around Delhi these days is that the 'Doon School runs India,' but that is too simple an analysis for a complex, chaotic country with so many competing spheres of influence." Gandhi's reliance on Doon alumni for political advice later led Prime Minister Morarji Desai to remark, "If I had anything to do with this place, I'd close it down". Gandhi's first action as prime minister
14241-409: The members of Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state legislative assemblies in a secret ballot procedure. The Vice President of India is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India , i.e. the president of India . The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the order of precedence and first in the line of succession to
14382-525: The mob. Rajiv Gandhi was in West Bengal on 31 October 1984 when his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh , to avenge the military attack on the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star . Sardar Buta Singh and President Zail Singh pressed Rajiv to succeed his mother as prime minister within hours of her murder. Commenting on
14523-513: The narmada parikrama at Barman Ghat having covered 3,300 kilometres (2,100 mi) by foot in 192 days. Singh was president of the Raghogarh Nagar palika (a municipal committee) between 1969 and 1971. An offer in 1970 from Vijayaraje Scindia for him to join the Jana Sangh was not taken up and he subsequently joined the Congress party. He became a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) as
14664-581: The next decade and the Raghogarh constituency was won by his cousin, Mool Singh , at the next elections in 2008. Singh shifted his attention to working for Congress from the centre, becoming a general secretary of the AICC and being involved in the party's organisation across several states, including Andhra Pradesh , Assam , Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. In 2012, Singh said that there was a need for younger people to be involved in state assemblies and that he had no further interest in contesting state elections. He expressed
14805-632: The only way of safeguarding legitimate Tamil interests and ensuring a durable peace in Sri Lanka. Some have chosen to criticise the Agreement. None has shown a better way of meeting the legitimate aspirations of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, restoring peace in that country and of meeting our own security concern in the region. We have accepted a role which is difficult, but which is in our national interests to discharge. We shall not shrink our obligations and commitments. This
14946-467: The opposition. Soon after assuming office, Gandhi asked President Singh to dissolve Parliament and hold fresh elections, as the Lok Sabha had completed its five-year term. Gandhi officially became the president of the Congress party, which won a landslide victory with the largest majority in history of the Indian Parliament, giving Gandhi absolute control of government. He benefited from his youth and
15087-611: The parties and centralised financing of elections. According to the V-Dem Democracy indices India in 2023 was the 19th most electoral democratic country in Asia . The Government of India is modelled after the Westminster system . The Union government (also called as the Central government) is mainly composed of the executive , the legislature , and the judiciary , and powers are vested by
15228-561: The party's representative for the Raghogarh Vidhan Sabha constituency of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly in the 1977 elections. This was the same constituency that his father had won in 1951 as member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) as independent candidate for the Raghogarh Vidhan Sabha constituency following the 1951 elections. Digvijaya was later re-elected from the Raghogarh constituency and became
15369-413: The post) system from 543 Single-member district . There are 245 members in the Rajya Sabha, out of which 233 are elected through indirect elections by single transferable vote by the members of the state legislative assemblies; 12 other members are elected/nominated by the President of India. Governments are formed through elections held every five years (unless otherwise specified), by parties that secure
15510-421: The power that it required. Aditi Phadnis , a political journalist and author, also notes that in 1985, the state had been producing a surplus of electricity through a process of technical and administrative efficiency that was the envy of other areas and that then "The State Electricity Board began to be looked upon as a milch cow by successive politicians, Digvijay Singh included." Power was given away and no money
15651-408: The president is a more extensive process than of the prime minister who is also elected indirectly (elected by the members of the majority party (or union) in the Lok Sabha ). Whereas President being the constitutional head with duties to protect, defend and preserve the constitution and rule of law in a constitutional democracy with constitutional supremacy , is elected in an extensive manner by
15792-461: The prospects of those people during his first term in office. These efforts attempted to arrest the declining support for the INC by those communities, who since the 1960s had increasingly been favouring the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the Jana Sangh and its political successor, the BJP. He followed the example set by Arjun Singh in taking this approach, which was not adopted in other areas of
15933-422: The respective states. The election commission decides the dates for the filing of nominations, voting, counting and announcement of results. A law for the registration process for political parties was enacted in 1989. The registration ensures that the political parties are recognized as national, state and regional parties. The election commission has the right to allot symbols to the political parties depending on
16074-587: The rise of coalition governments. The latest 18th Lok Sabha elections was conducted in seven phases from 19 April 2024 to 1 June 2024 by the Election commission of India. The results bought in the NDA ( National Democratic Alliance ) to form in the next government In recent decades, Indian politics has become a dynastic affair. Possible reasons for this could be the party stability, absence of party organisations, independent civil society associations that mobilise support for
16215-583: The scheme failed when a petition was filed that challenged the validity of Lakshman's 1993 election. Digvijaya instead won the by-election from Chachoura constituency, which was vacated by the Former MLA Shivnarayan Meena that time for the purpose. The Hindi Belt , of which Madhya Pradesh is a part, has a significant number of economically and socially disadvantaged Dalit and tribal communities. Through his policies, which have evoked both strong support and criticism among academics, Singh targeted
16356-504: The seat, defeating Lok Dal candidate Sharad Yadav by a margin of 237,000 votes. He took his oath on 17 August as Member of Parliament . Rajiv Gandhi's first political tour was to England, where he attended the wedding ceremony of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981. In December the same year, he was put in charge of the Indian Youth Congress . He first showed his organisational ability by "working round
16497-618: The second class carriage of an ordinary passenger train. He chose Champaran as the starting point for his 'Bharat Yatra'. Rajiv Gandhi started the Sadbhavna Yatra from Charminar in Hyderabad on 19 October 1990. In 1985, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of Muslim divorcee Shah Bano , declaring that her husband should give her alimony . Some Indian Muslims treated it as an encroachment upon Muslim Personal Law and protested against it. Gandhi agreed to their demands. In 1986,
16638-540: The seed for the information technology (IT) revolution was also planted during Rajiv Gandhi's time. Rajiv Gandhi's finance minister, V. P. Singh , uncovered compromising details about government and political corruption, to the consternation of Congress leaders. Transferred to the Defence Ministry, Singh uncovered what became known as the Bofors scandal, which involved millions of US dollars and concerned alleged payoffs by
16779-475: The selection of Ajit Jogi as the Chief Minister for the new state and this Singh did, although Jogi had been critical of his style of politics and Singh had personally preferred not to see him installed to that office. While Singh managed to convince the majority of Congress Legislator Party members to back Ajit Jogi, the absence of Vidya Charan Shukla and his supporters at the meeting raised questions about
16920-416: The size of the population of the urban settlement. The Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 aims to provide a three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having a population of over 2 million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly every five years, to provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women, to appoint State Finance Commission to make recommendations as regards
17061-689: The state between 1951 and 1961 were given full citizenship but those who arrived there between 1961 and 1971 did not get right to vote for the next ten years. Gandhi employed former Rockwell International executive Sam Pitroda as his adviser on public information infrastructure and innovation. During Gandhi's time in office, public sector telecom companies MTNL and VSNL was developed. According to Pitroda, Gandhi's ability to resist pressure from multi-national companies to abandon his plan to spread telecommunication services has been an important factor in India's development. According to news website Oneindia , "About 20 years ago telephones were considered to be
17202-567: The status of states that were earlier union territories. Gandhi also ended the Assam Movement , which was launched by Assamese people to protest against the alleged illegal migration of Bangladeshi Muslims and immigration of other Bengalis to their state, which had reduced the Assamese to a minority there. He signed the Assam Accord on 15 August 1985. According to the accord, foreigners who came to
17343-413: The status. The same symbol cannot be allocated to two political parties even if they do not contest in the region. The commission prepares electoral rolls and updates the voter list. To prevent electoral fraud, Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) were introduced in 1993. However certain legal documents such as ration cards have been allowed for voting in certain situations. " One Nation, One Election "
17484-518: The telephone network in rural areas. He introduced measures to significantly reduce the Licence Raj after 1990, allowing businesses and individuals to purchase capital, consumer goods and import without bureaucratic restrictions. According to Rejaul Karim Laskar , a scholar of Indian foreign policy and an ideologue of Congress party , Rajiv Gandhi's vision for a new world order was premised on India's place in its front rank. According to Laskar ,
17625-503: The voting is conducted by Election Commission of India via secret ballot. The vice president also acts as the chancellor of the Panjab University and Delhi University. State governments in India are the governments ruling over 28 states and 8 union territories of India and the head of the Council of Ministers in a state is the Chief Minister . Each state has a legislative assembly . A state legislature that has one house –
17766-482: Was a friend of Amitabh Bachchan , and was familiar with Bachchan even before he launched his acting career. Rajiv, Sanjay and Bachchan spent time together when Bachchan was student in Delhi University and a resident of New Delhi . In the 1980s, Bachchan entered politics to support Gandhi. On 23 June 1980, Rajiv's younger brother Sanjay Gandhi died unexpectedly in an aeroplane crash. At that time, Rajiv Gandhi
17907-602: Was a minister in Chief Minister Arjun Singh 's cabinet between 1980 and 1984. In 2019 Indian general election he was defeated by Pragya Singh Thakur for Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. Digvijaya Singh was born on 28 February 1947 in Indore in the princely state of Holkar of British India . His father, Balbhadra Singh , was the Raja of Raghogarh (under Gwalior State ), presently known as Guna district of Madhya Pradesh, and
18048-636: Was admitted to the preparatory Welham Boys' School and then moved to The Doon School , Dehradun in 1954, where Sanjay joined him two years later. At Doon, Gandhi's senior was Mani Shankar Aiyar , who later became a prominent member in his inner circle. Gandhi was also educated at the Ecole d'Humanité , an international boarding school in Switzerland. He left the Doon School in 1961 with a second-class certificate, having performed well in his final subjects apart from
18189-527: Was an Indian politician who was the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the assassination of his mother, then–prime minister Indira Gandhi , to become at the age of 40 the youngest Indian prime minister. He served until his defeat at the 1989 election , and then became Leader of the Opposition, Lok Sabha , resigning in December 1990, six months before his own assassination . Gandhi
18330-558: Was assassinated by her two Sikh bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star , an Indian military action to remove Sikh separatist activists from the Golden Temple of the Harmandir Sahib . Later that day, Gandhi was appointed prime minister. His leadership was tested over the next few days as organised mobs rioted against the Sikh community , resulting in anti-Sikh massacres in Delhi. That December,
18471-708: Was demanding an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka. Gandhi discussed the matter with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa at the SAARC meeting in 1986. In that year, the Sri Lankan army blockaded the Tamil majority district of Jaffna ; Gandhi ordered relief supplies to be dropped into the area by parachute because the Sri Lankan navy did not allow the Indian Navy to enter. Gandhi signed
18612-618: Was given the Defence Ministry in 1987. During his tenure as prime minister, Gandhi frequently shuffled his cabinet ministers, drawing criticism from the magazine India Today , which called it a "wheel of confusion". The West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu said, "The Cabinet change reflects the instability of the Congress (I) Government at the Centre". He also administered and created the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change . Gandhi, an alumnus of The Doon School , drew criticism from
18753-420: Was imprisoned for 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years for the assault. Gandhi later said about the incident: When I was inspecting the guard of honour and as I walked past one person, I saw through the corner of my eye some movement. I ducked down a little bit in a reflex action. By my ducking, he missed my head and the brunt of the blow came on my shoulder below the left ear. Soon after assuming office, Gandhi released
18894-404: Was in London as part of his foreign tour. Hearing the news, he returned to Delhi and cremated Sanjay's body. As per Agarwal, in the week following Sanjay's death, Shankaracharya Swami Shri Swaroopanand, a saint from Badrinath , visited the family's house to offer his condolences. He advised Rajiv not to fly aeroplanes and instead "dedicate himself to the service of the nation". Seventy members of
19035-401: Was less emphasis than previously on methods of assistance that were focused on reservation of jobs . Returning to the Raghogarh constituency for the 1998 elections, Singh was re-elected and appointed by Sonia Gandhi to serve a second term as chief minister. Census data suggests that Singh's education reforms had become a particularly successful aspect of his government. Those reforms included
19176-519: Was no case to answer. In June 2015, Singh petitioned the Supreme Court, pleading for a CBI probe into the Vyapam scam . He claimed to have interacted with a whistleblower who had revealed sensitive information to him. The CBI dismissed the claim in November 2017, raising the possibility that Singh could be prosecuted for fabricating evidence. In the 2019 Indian general election , he ran for Lok Sabha in
19317-542: Was not related to Mahatma Gandhi . Instead, he was from the politically powerful Nehru–Gandhi family , which had been associated with the Indian National Congress party. For much of his childhood, his maternal grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was prime minister. Gandhi attended The Doon School , an elite boarding institution, and then the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He returned to India in 1966 and became
19458-414: Was passing the anti-defection law in January 1985. According to this law, an elected Member of Parliament or legislative assembly could not join an opposition party until the next election. Historian Manish Telikicherla Chary calls it a measure of curbing corruption and bribery of ministers by switching parties so they could gain majority. Many such defections occurred during the 1980s as elected leaders of
19599-595: Was posthumously cleared of this allegation. In an interview in July 2005, V. P. Singh explained that his fall out with Rajiv Gandhi was not due to the Bofors deal, but rather due to the HDW deal . Courtesy a contract signed with the German company HDW in 1981, the Indian government had agreed to purchase two ready submarines built in Germany by HDW and two submarines in CKD form to be assembled in Mazagaon docks. V. P. Singh had received
19740-495: Was sentenced for one year rigorous imprisonment by an Indore court in connection with clash with BJYM workers in 2011. Singh has said that the right-wing extremism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) represented a grave threat to national unity. He stated that "The RSS, in the garb of its nationalist ideology, is targeting Muslims the same way Nazis targeted Jews in
19881-635: Was set aside for repairs and maintenance. One of Singh's last proposals while in office was to write-off the electricity bills of 1.2 million people over the preceding three years. In this, he was thwarted by the Election Commission of India , which ruled the proposal to be a breach of election rules. Singh had claimed that it was desirable because the farmers of the state — who needed electricity to power water pumps — had suffered three years of drought conditions . Following his party's defeat, Singh determined that he would not contest any polls for
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