View source for Rajiv Gandhi

{{short description|Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989<!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->}}
{{About|the politician}}
{{Pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name            = Rajiv Gandhi
| native_name     =
| image           = File:Rajiv Gandhi (1987).jpg<!--Do NOT alter or remove this image. It was chosen through a discussion among editors. If you wish to propose a change, please start a new discussion to establish consensus.-->
| image_size      = 
| caption         = Rajiv Gandhi in 1987<!--Do NOT alter or remove this image. It was chosen through a discussion among editors. If you wish to propose a change, please start a new discussion to establish consensus.-->
| office          = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Prime Minister of India]]
| term_start      = 31 October 1984
| term_end        = 2 December 1989
| president       = {{ubl|[[Zail Singh]]|[[Ramaswamy Venkataraman]]}}
| predecessor     = [[Indira Gandhi]]
| successor       = [[V. P. Singh|Vishwanath Pratap Singh]]
| office1         = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha]]
| term_start1     = 18 December 1989
| term_end1       = 23 December 1990
| prime_minister1 = Vishwanath Pratap Singh
| predecessor1    = [[Jagjivan Ram]]
| successor1      = [[L. K. Advani]]
| office2         = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[President of the Indian National Congress]]
| term_start2     = 28 December 1985
| term_end2       = 21 May 1991
| predecessor2    = Indira Gandhi
| successor2      = [[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]
| office3         = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->[[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|Member of Parliament]],  [[Lok Sabha]]
| term_start3     = 17 August 1981
| term_end3       = 21 May 1991
| constituency3   = [[Amethi Lok Sabha constituency|Amethi, Uttar Pradesh]]
| predecessor3    = [[Sanjay Gandhi]]
| successor3      = [[Satish Sharma]]
| birth_date      = {{birth date|1944|08|20|df=yes}}
| birth_name      = Rajiv Ratna Gandhi<ref name="Kidwai">{{cite web|last= Kidwai|first= Rasheed|date= 20 August 2025|title= Opinion - Planes, Films With Bachchans, Lucknow: Growing Up As Rajiv Gandhi|url= https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/birjees-rajivratna-the-nameless-one-the-many-names-rajiv-gandhi-was-given-by-nehru-9122095|website=ndtv.com|location= New Delhi|publisher= NDTV|access-date= 26 February 2025}}</ref>
| birth_place     = [[Bombay, Maharashtra]], India
| death_date      = {{death date and age|1991|05|21|1944|08|20|df=yes}}
| death_place     = [[Sriperumbudur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| death_cause     = [[Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|Assassination]]
| blank1          = Monuments
| data1           = [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Vir Bhumi]]
| party           = [[Indian National Congress]]
| spouse          = {{marriage|[[Sonia Gandhi|Sonia Maino]]|1968}}
| relatives       = <!-- See --> [[Nehru–Gandhi family]]
| children        = {{hlist|[[Rahul Gandhi|Rahul]]|[[Priyanka Gandhi|Priyanka]]}}
| mother          = [[Indira Gandhi]]
| father          = [[Feroze Gandhi]]
| alma_mater      = {{ubl|[[Trinity College, Cambridge]] (dropped out)|[[Imperial College London]] (dropped out)<!-- DO NOT remove "dropped out" since he failed to complete his degrees from both colleges, therefore it must be mentioned.-->}}
| occupation      = {{hlist|[[Politician]]|[[aircraft pilot]]}}
| awards          = [[Bharat Ratna]] (1991)
| signature       = Signature of Rajiv Gandhi.svg
| vice_president  = {{ubl
|Ramaswamy Venkataraman
|[[Shankar Dayal Sharma]]}}
| order           = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->
| order2          = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] -->
| order1          = <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] --> 
}}
{{Rajiv Gandhi series}}

'''Rajiv Ratna Gandhi'''<ref name="Kidwai">{{cite web|last= Kidwai|first= Rasheed|date= 20 August 2025|title= Opinion - Planes, Films With Bachchans, Lucknow: Growing Up As Rajiv Gandhi|url= https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/birjees-rajivratna-the-nameless-one-the-many-names-rajiv-gandhi-was-given-by-nehru-9122095|website=ndtv.com|location= New Delhi|publisher= NDTV|access-date= 26 February 2025}}</ref>{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|ɑː|dʒ|iː|v|_|ˈ|ɡ|ɑː|n|d|iː|audio=Hi-RajivGandhi.ogg}}; {{IPA|hi|ɾaːd͡ʒiːʋ gaːn̪d̪ʱiː}}}} (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991)<ref name="brit"/> was an Indian politician and pilot who served as the <!-- Do NOT add counts or ordinals, as per [[WP:CONSENSUS]] --> [[prime minister of India]] from 1984 to 1989 for two terms. He took office after the [[Assassination of Indira Gandhi|assassination]] of his mother, then–prime minister [[Indira Gandhi]], to become the youngest Indian prime minister at the age of 40. He served until his defeat at the [[1989 Indian general election|1989 election]], and then became [[Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha]], resigning in December 1990, six months before [[Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|his own assassination]].

Gandhi 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 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 Gandhi|Rahul]] and [[Priyanka Gandhi|Priyanka]]. For much of the 1970s, his mother was prime minister and his younger brother [[Sanjay Gandhi|Sanjay]] an [[Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha|MP]]; despite this, Gandhi remained apolitical.

After Sanjay died in a plane crash in 1980, Gandhi reluctantly entered politics at the behest of his mother. The following year he won his brother's Parliamentary seat of [[Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Amethi]] and became a member of the [[Lok Sabha]], the lower house of [[Parliament of India|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) was assassinated by her two [[Sikh]] bodyguards<ref name="Ensaaf">{{cite book |last1=Kaur |first1=Jaskaran |last2=Crossette |first2=Barbara |title=Twenty years of impunity: the November 1984 pogroms of Sikhs in India |page=27 |url=http://ensaaf-org.jklaw.net/publications/reports/20years/20years-2nd.pdf |edition=2nd |year=2006 |publisher=Ensaaf |location=Portland, OR |isbn=978-0-9787073-0-9 |access-date=23 May 2022 |archive-date=19 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119015130/http://ensaaf-org.jklaw.net/publications/reports/20years/20years-2nd.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=bbconthisday>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |title=1984: Assassination and revenge |access-date=23 May 2022 |publisher=BBC News |date=31 October 1984 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215211511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/october/31/newsid_3961000/3961851.stm |archive-date=15 February 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=War and Religion: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDlFDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA129 |page=129 |author1=Shaw, Jeffrey M. |author2=Demy, Timothy J. |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1610695176|date=2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Riots and Pogroms |page=203 |author=Brass, Paul R. |publisher=NYU Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QeU8DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA203|isbn=978-0814712825 |date=October 1996}}</ref> [[Satwant Singh]] and [[Beant Singh (assassin)|Beant Singh]] in the aftermath of [[Operation Blue Star]], an Indian military action to remove [[Dharam Yudh Morcha|Sikh separatist activists]] from the [[Golden Temple]]. Later that day, Gandhi was appointed prime minister. His leadership was tested over the next few days as organised mobs [[1984 anti-Sikh riots|rioted against the Sikh community]], resulting in anti-Sikh massacres in Delhi. That December, the Congress party won the largest Lok Sabha majority to date, [[1984 Indian general election|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 [[1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt|coup in Maldives]], antagonising militant Tamil groups such as [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam|PLOTE]], intervening and then sending [[Indian Peace Keeping Force|peacekeeping]] troops to Sri Lanka in 1987, leading to open conflict with the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE). His party was defeated in the [[1989 Indian general election|1989 election]].

Gandhi remained [[Congress president]] until the [[1991 Indian general election|elections in 1991]]. While campaigning for the elections, [[Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|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, the Revolutionary Leader of Modern India award was conferred posthumously on Gandhi.<ref>{{cite news |title=Special award bestowed on Rajiv Gandhi |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/Special-award-bestowed-on-Rajiv-Gandhi/article16522723.ece |access-date=28 February 2021 |work=The Hindu |date=27 September 2009 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922071631/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/Special-award-bestowed-on-Rajiv-Gandhi/article16522723.ece |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
[[File:Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi.jpg|thumb|left|Gandhi with his mother [[Indira Gandhi|Indira]], maternal grandfather [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and brother [[Sanjay Gandhi|Sanjay]] in 1949]]
[[File:Rajiv,_Indira_and_Sanjay_Gandhi.jpg|thumb|left|Gandhi with his mother [[Indira Gandhi]] and brother [[Sanjay Gandhi]] in 1971]]
Rajiv Gandhi was born in [[Bombay]] (Mumbai) on 20 August 1944 in [[British Raj|British-ruled India]] to anti-colonial Indian activists [[Indira Gandhi|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".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mid-day.com/photos/remembering-rajiv-gandhi-rare-pictures-of-former-prime-minister-of-india/3442|title=Rajiv Gandhi|website=www.mid-day.com|access-date=12 November 2019|archive-date=6 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806213947/https://www.mid-day.com/photos/remembering-rajiv-gandhi-rare-pictures-of-former-prime-minister-of-india/3442|url-status=live}}</ref> He then studied at the [[St. Columba's School, Delhi]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhat |first1=Anil |title=As Delhi's St. Columba's turns 75, its alumni have much to celebrate |url=https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/160218/as-delhis-st-columbas-turns-75-its-alumni-have-much-to-celebrate.html |work=www.asianage.com |date=16 February 2018 |language=en |access-date=25 July 2024 |archive-date=5 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005120756/https://www.asianage.com/india/all-india/160218/as-delhis-st-columbas-turns-75-its-alumni-have-much-to-celebrate.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Thereafter, he 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.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 17</ref> At Doon, Gandhi's senior was [[Mani Shankar Aiyar]], who later became a prominent member in his inner circle.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/uvNzu6pJHFn0Ft90d5nzSN/The-problem-with-Mani-Shankar-Aiyar.html|title=The problem with Mani Shankar Aiyar|first=Nikita|last=Doval|date=9 December 2017|website=mint|access-date=23 August 2023|archive-date=28 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928185111/https://www.livemint.com/Politics/uvNzu6pJHFn0Ft90d5nzSN/The-problem-with-Mani-Shankar-Aiyar.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Gandhi was also educated at the [[Ecole d'Humanité]], an international boarding school in Switzerland.<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh|first=Rani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_g67qLkXfgC&q=ecole+circle+ecole+d'humanit%C3%A9&pg=PT26|title=Sonia Gandhi: An Extraordinary Life, An Indian Destiny|date=13 September 2011|publisher=St. Martin's Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-230-34053-4}}</ref> He left the Doon School in 1961 with a second-class certificate, having performed well in his final subjects apart from a pass mark in chemistry.<ref name="young_rajiv">{{cite news |last=D'Rozario |first=Aryan |date=18 February 2023 |title=Young Rajiv: A Diplomat's Diary |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/-young-rajiv-a-diplomat-s-diary-weekender_story-263096 |work=Outlook Weekender |location= |access-date=5 March 2023 |archive-date=28 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228190736/https://www.outlookindia.com/culture-society/-young-rajiv-a-diplomat-s-diary-weekender_story-263096 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During Gandhi's final year at Doon, his mother and Albert D'Rozario, the scientific [[attaché]] at the [[India House, London|Indian High Commission in London]], arranged his application to [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge University]].<ref name="young_rajiv"/> D'Rozario, who had been a college classmate of Gandhi's father Feroze, recommended that Gandhi should study engineering, and met with [[M.G.M. Pryor|Mark Pryor]], the Senior Tutor at [[Trinity College, Cambridge]].<ref name="young_rajiv"/> Pryor arranged for Gandhi's conditional admission to Trinity, contingent on his passing the Mechanical Sciences Qualifying (MSQ) Examination with acceptable marks.<ref name="young_rajiv"/> After studying for his [[A-Level]]s at the [[sixth form college]] of [[Abbey DLD Colleges Group|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.<ref name="young_rajiv"/> While at Trinity, he joined the [[Cambridge University Boat Club]].<ref name="young_rajiv"/>

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.<ref name="young_rajiv"/> Despite his support, Gandhi failed end-of-year exams and left Trinity in 1965 without a degree,<ref name="degree">{{cite news|title=Rahul first in three generations with a world university degree|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140218/main6.htm|newspaper=[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]|date=18 February 2014|access-date=18 May 2015|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220725/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140218/main6.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> though he kept in touch with his former mentor in his retirement.<ref name="young_rajiv"/> 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.<ref>[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U172595 "GANDHI, Rajiv"], ''Who Was Who''. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing.  1920–2016. Oxford University Press, 2014</ref>

Gandhi returned to India in 1966, the year his mother became [[Prime Minister of India|prime minister]]. He went to Delhi and became a member of the [[Flying Club]], where he trained as a pilot. In 1970, he was employed as a pilot by [[Indian Airlines]]; unlike Sanjay, he did not exhibit any interest in joining politics.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 47</ref> In 1968, after three years of courtship, he married [[Sonia Gandhi|Sonia Màino]]. Their first child, a son, [[Rahul Gandhi|Rahul]] was born in 1970. In 1972, the couple had a daughter, [[Priyanka Gandhi|Priyanka]], who married [[Robert Vadra]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Great Personalities of the World|author=Khan, Tanvir|publisher=V&S Publishers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2qCNAwAAQBAJ&q=rajiv+gandhi+anti+sikh+riots|isbn=9789350572450|location=|page=76|date=2012}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Gandhi 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kidwai |first=Rasheed |date=11 October 2018 |title=Amitabh Bachchan, Rajiv Gandhi and a tale of two families |url=https://news.abplive.com/blog/amitabh-bachchan-rajiv-gandhi-and-a-tale-of-two-families-766548 |access-date=17 September 2022 |website=news.abplive.com |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913081231/https://news.abplive.com/blog/amitabh-bachchan-rajiv-gandhi-and-a-tale-of-two-families-766548 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Entry into politics==
On 23 June 1980, Rajiv's younger brother [[Sanjay Gandhi]] died unexpectedly in an [[aeroplane]] crash. At that time, Rajiv Gandhi was in London as part of his foreign tour. Hearing the news, he returned to Delhi and cremated Sanjay's body.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 20</ref> 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.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 21</ref> He advised Rajiv not to fly aeroplanes and instead "dedicate himself to the service of the nation".<ref name="Meenatt">[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 22</ref> Seventy members of 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".<ref name="Meenatt"/> Rajiv entered politics on 16 February 1981, when he addressed a national farmers' rally in Delhi.<ref name="TH">[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], pp. 23–24</ref> During this time, he was still an employee of Air India.<ref name="Anant">{{cite book|author1=Anant, Kirusna |title=India Since Independence: Making Sense of Indian Politics|publisher=Pearson Education India|isbn=9788131725672|page=257|year=2010}}</ref>

===Participation in active politics===
On 4 May 1981, Indira Gandhi presided over a meeting of the [[All India Congress Committee]]. [[Vasantdada Patil]] proposed Rajiv as a candidate for Sanjay's old constituency, [[Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Amethi]], 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, Uttar Pradesh|Sultanpur]] to file his nomination papers and completed other formalities.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 24</ref> He won the seat, defeating [[Lok Dal]] candidate [[Sharad Yadav]] by a margin of 237,000 votes.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Sharma, Satinder |author2=Sharma, Indra |title=Rajiv Gandhi: An Annotated Bibliography, 1944–1982|year=1983|publisher=University of Michigan|page=65}}</ref> He took his oath on 17 August as [[Member of Parliament]].<ref name="Anant"/>

Rajiv Gandhi's first political tour was to England, where he attended the wedding ceremony of [[Prince Charles]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Lady Diana Spencer]] on 29 July 1981.<ref name="TF">[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 25</ref> In December the same year, he was put in charge of the [[Indian Youth Congress]].<ref name="TF"/> He first showed his organisational ability by "working round the clock" on the [[1982 Asian Games]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shri Rajiv Gandhi |url=https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5-%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%80/ |website=[[Prime Minister's Office (India)]] |access-date=5 June 2024 |archive-date=1 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901194747/https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80-%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B5-%E0%A4%97%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%80/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Boria">{{cite book|author1= Majumdar, Boria|author-link1=Boria Majumdar|title=Olympics – The India Story|publisher=[[HarperCollins Publishers]]|isbn=9789350295090|page=74|date=18 June 2012}}</ref> The report submitted by the Asian Games committee mentions Gandhi's "drive, zeal and initiative" for the "outstanding success" of the games.<ref name="Boria"/>

===1984 anti-Sikh riots post Indira Gandhi's death===
{{Main|1984 anti-Sikh riots}}
[[File:Rajiv Gandhi meeting Russian Hare Krishna devotees in New Delhi 1989.jpg|thumb|Meeting Russian [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Hare Krishna]] devotees in 1989.]]

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.<ref name="AS"/> Sources estimate the number of Sikh deaths to be between 8,000 and 17,000.<ref>Joseph, Paul (11 October 2016). ''The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives''. SAGE. p. 433. {{ISBN|978-1483359885}}. "around 17,000 Sikhs were burned alive or killed"</ref> 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 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".<ref>{{cite book|author1=Singh, Indu Prakash |title=The aborted revolution|publisher=University of Michigan|page=235}}</ref> According to Verinder Grover, the statement made by Gandhi was a "virtual justification" of the riots.<ref name="AS">{{cite book|author1=Grover, Verinder |title=Indian Political System: Trends and Challenges|publisher=Deep and Deep Publications|isbn=9788171008834|page=366|year=1997}}</ref> 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 the mob.<ref>[[#Aiyar|Aiyar]], p. 194</ref>

==Prime Minister of India (1984–1989)==
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 (assassin)|Beant Singh]], to avenge the military attack on the [[Harmandir Sahib|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 the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi said, "When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1504/15040190.htm |title=Back to the dynasty |work=Frontline |publisher=Hinduonnet.com |date=6 March 1998 |access-date=7 March 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090110022524/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1504/15040190.htm |archive-date=10 January 2009 }}</ref> a statement for which he was widely criticised. Many Congress politicians were accused of orchestrating the violence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4130962.stm |title=World &#124; South Asia &#124; Leaders 'incited' anti-Sikh riots |work=BBC News |date=8 August 2005 |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714200555/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4130962.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{quote box|align=right|width=20em|quote=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 the opposition.|source= — ''[[Satyendra Narayan Sinha]]''<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L5bTCgLM1lYC&q=satyendra+narayan+rajiv+gandhi+invincible&pg=PT197 |title=Memorable Quotes from Rajiv Gandhi and on Rajiv Gandhi |date=2009 |last=Palanithurai |first=G |publisher= Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi |isbn= 978-81-8069-587-2 |access-date= 11 January 2015 }}</ref>}}

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 a general perception of being free of a background in corrupt politics.<ref>{{cite news | work=BBC News | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/29/newsid_3314000/3314987.stm | title=1984: Rajiv Gandhi wins landslide election victory | date=29 December 1984 | access-date=1 September 2013 | archive-date=23 October 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023215109/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/29/newsid_3314000/3314987.stm | url-status=live }}</ref> Gandhi took his oath on 31 December 1984; at 40,  he was the youngest prime minister of India.<ref name="oath"/> 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.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 28</ref>

===Prime Minister roles===

===Cabinet ministers===
{{Main|First Rajiv Gandhi ministry|Second Rajiv Gandhi ministry}}
[[File:Rajiv Gandhi at The Doon School Founder's Day.jpg|thumb|Gandhi's inner circle was labelled 'Doon Cabinet' or 'Dosco Mafia', given the induction of many of his [[Doon School]] acquaintances (''Gandhi pictured in the Doon School blazer during a Founder's Day visit'')]]
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 the mark".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hazarika |first=Sanjoy |date=1 January 1985 |title=Gandhi, Sworn In, Pledges 'efficiency Oriented' Rule |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/01/world/gandhi-sworn-in-pledges-efficiency-oriented-rule.html |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=27 May 2024 |archive-date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240527095254/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/01/world/gandhi-sworn-in-pledges-efficiency-oriented-rule.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 [[Minister of Defence (India)|defence]].<ref name="oath">{{cite news|title=Rajiv Gandhi takes oath as India's prime minister|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19841231&id=sTdTAAAAIBAJ&pg=3454,6835384&hl=en|access-date=25 May 2015|newspaper=The Deseret News|date=31 December 1984|page=1|archive-date=8 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200408185742/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19841231&id=sTdTAAAAIBAJ&pg=3454%2C6835384&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> [[V. P. Singh]], who was initially appointed as the [[Minister of Finance (India)|Finance Minister]], was given the Defence Ministry in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|title=Shri Vishwanath Pratap Singh : Biography|url=http://www.vpsingh.in/biography.html|publisher=VP Singh|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=6 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106075316/http://www.vpsingh.in/biography.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Wheel of confusion|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19880315-whenever-in-doubt-rajiv-gandhi-plays-the-cabinet-reshuffle-card-797058-1988-03-14|magazine=India Today|access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> He also administered and created the [[Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change]].

====Dosco Mafia or Doon Cabinet====
Gandhi, an alumnus of [[The Doon School]], drew criticism from the media for appointing many old boys to his administration.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0724/eindia.html|title=Bootstrap steps for Gandhi|date=24 July 1987|journal=Christian Science Monitor|access-date=23 August 2023|archive-date=27 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227224559/https://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0724/eindia.html|url-status=live}}</ref> His inner circle was labelled a "Doon Cabinet"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/put-him-down-for-doon/|title=Put him down for Doon|first=Will|last=Brown|date=16 March 2017|website=The Spectator|access-date=23 August 2023|archive-date=28 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230928185110/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/put-him-down-for-doon/|url-status=live}}</ref> or "Dosco Mafia",<ref>''Indian Tales of the Raj'' by Zareer Masani, p.152</ref> 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."<ref name="bumiller1985">{{cite news|last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1985/11/24/where-indias-elite-were-boys-together/0579f3d9-1835-4441-b1b1-a55e3111bdc3/ |title=Where India's Elite Were Boys Together |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=24 November 1985 |access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Steven R. Weisman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/20/magazine/the-rajiv-generation.html |title=THE RAJIV GENERATION - The New York Times |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=20 April 1986 |access-date=7 April 2020 |archive-date=7 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407191321/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/20/magazine/the-rajiv-generation.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 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".<ref name="bumiller1985"/>

===Anti-defection law===
Gandhi's first action as prime minister was passing the [[Parliamentary system|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=India: Nation on the Move: An Overview of India's People, Culture, History, Economy, IT Industry, & More|author=Chary, Manish Telikicherla |publisher=iUniverse|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6WE8SwINOKMC&q=rajiv+gandhi+anti+sikh+riots|year=2009|isbn=9781440116353|location=|page=129}}</ref> Many such defections occurred during the 1980s as elected leaders of the Congress party joined opposition parties.<ref>{{cite web|title=Provisions of Anti-Defection Law in India|url=http://www.elections.in/political-corner/provisions-of-anti-defection-law-in-india/|publisher=Elections|access-date=26 May 2015|date=27 January 2015|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526130545/http://www.elections.in/political-corner/provisions-of-anti-defection-law-in-india/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1985 Congress Sandesh Yatra===
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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/with-start-of-congress-bharat-jodo-yatra-here-is-a-look-at-some-key-yatras-undertaken-by-politicians-in-india-news-221953|title=Bharat Jodo Yatra: Here Is A Look At Some Other Key 'Yatras' By Indian Politicians|date=12 September 2022|access-date=1 November 2022|archive-date=1 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101181743/https://www.outlookindia.com/national/with-start-of-congress-bharat-jodo-yatra-here-is-a-look-at-some-key-yatras-undertaken-by-politicians-in-india-news-221953|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.

===Mass connect programmes though Bharat Yatra===
In 1990, Rajiv Gandhi undertook Bharat Yatra through different modes – padyatra, the second class carriage of an ordinary passenger train.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/special-report/story/19900715-lacking-strategy-rajiv-gandhi-bharat-yatra-turns-out-to-be-more-symbolism-than-substance-812772-1990-07-14|title=Rajiv Gandhi's 'Bharat Yatra' turns out to be more symbolism than substance|work=India Today|date=15 July 1990|access-date=18 March 2023}}</ref> He chose [[Champaran]] as the starting point for his 'Bharat Yatra'. Rajiv Gandhi  started the [[Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award|Sadbhavna Yatra]] from [[Charminar]] in Hyderabad on 19 October 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajiv-se-rahul-tak-parallel-as-bharat-jodo-reaches-charminar-papa-started-sadbhavana-yatra-32-years-ago-101667357245639.html|title='Rajiv se Rahul tak' parallel as Bharat Jodo reaches Charminar: 'Papa started Sadbhavana Yatra 32 years ago'|date=2 November 2022|work=The Hindustan Times|first=Poulomi|last=Ghosh|access-date=18 March 2023|archive-date=23 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123124634/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajiv-se-rahul-tak-parallel-as-bharat-jodo-reaches-charminar-papa-started-sadbhavana-yatra-32-years-ago-101667357245639.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-unfurls-national-flag-at-charminar-in-hyderabad-amid-bharat-jodo-yatra-3480496|title=Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul unfurls national flag in front of Charminar|work=NDTV|date=1 November 2022|access-date=18 March 2023|archive-date=8 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208045557/https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-unfurls-national-flag-at-charminar-in-hyderabad-amid-bharat-jodo-yatra-3480496|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19901031-rajiv-gandhi-tries-to-live-down-his-elitist-image-woos-the-common-man-813202-1990-10-30|title=Rajiv Gandhi tries to live down his elitist image, woos the common man|work=India Today|first=Bhaskar|last=Roy|date=31 October 1990|access-date=18 March 2023|archive-date=11 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111175131/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19901031-rajiv-gandhi-tries-to-live-down-his-elitist-image-woos-the-common-man-813202-1990-10-30|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Shah Bano case===
{{Main|Shah Bano case}}

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homepages.uc.edu/thro/shahbano/sb-rajiv.htm |title=Shah Bano – Rajiv Gandhi |publisher=Homepages.uc.edu |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=9 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009222601/http://homepages.uc.edu/thro/shahbano/sb-rajiv.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1986, the Parliament of India passed [[The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act 1986]], which nullified the Supreme Court's judgement in the Shah Bano case. The Act diluted the Supreme Court judgement 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 the Code.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anand |first1=Utkarsh |title=From Shah Bano to Salma – Indian Express |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/from-shah-bano-to-salma/520890/0 |access-date=11 February 2021 |work=Indian Express |date=26 March 2010 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305145129/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/from-shah-bano-to-salma/520890/0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Shah Bano legacy|url=http://www.hindu.com/2003/08/10/stories/2003081000221500.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111023109/http://hindu.com/2003/08/10/stories/2003081000221500.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=10 August 2003|access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref> Indian magazine ''Business and Economics'' called it a minority appeasement by Gandhi.<ref>{{cite web|title=The ghost of Shah Bano|url=http://www.businessandeconomy.org/14052009/storyd.asp?sid=4364&pageno=1|publisher=Business and Economy|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=3 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140503184828/http://www.businessandeconomy.org/14052009/storyd.asp?sid=4364&pageno=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lawyer and former Law Minister of India, [[Ram Jethmalani]], called the Act "retrogressive obscurantism for short-term minority populism".<ref name="medio">{{cite news|title=Cementing of dynastic democracy|url=http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/cementing-of-dynastic-democracy|newspaper=Sunday Guardian|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526151114/http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/cementing-of-dynastic-democracy|url-status=dead}}</ref> Gandhi's colleague [[Arif Mohammad Khan]], who was then a Member of Parliament, resigned in protest.<ref name=indiaafterind>{{cite book|title=India Since Independence|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Penguin Books India|location=India|isbn=978-0143104094|page=362|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dE9qEg-NgHMC&q=arif+mohammad+khan+muslim+shah+bano+resigned&pg=PA362|author=Chandra, Bipan |author-link1=Bipan Chandra|author2=Mukherjee, Aditya |author3=Mukherjee, Mridula |editor=Penguin Books India}}</ref>

===Economic policy===
[[File:Pandit Ram Kishore Shukla with Rajiv Gandhi at 7, Race course road in 1988.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with [[Ram Kishore Shukla]] in 1988.]]

In his election manifesto for the [[1984 Indian general election|1984 general election]], he did not mention any economic reforms, but after assuming office he tried to liberalise the country's economy.<ref name="EP">{{cite book|title=State Power and Social Forces: Domination and Transformation in the Third World|author=Kohli, Atul |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5uqtkTkYas4C&q=rajiv+gandhi+economic+policy|author-link=Atul Kohli|isbn=9780521467346|location=|pages=102–103|date=1994}}</ref> He sought to liberalise India's trade policies but faced stiff opposition to the proposed reforms.<ref>{{cite book |title=Opening up by Cracking Down |chapter=India's Middle Path: Preventive Arrests and General Strikes |date=2022 |pages=86–112 |doi=10.1017/9781108777964.006 |isbn=978-1-108-77796-4 }}</ref><ref name="EP" /> 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]].{{Contradictory inline|article=Rajiv Gandhi|section=Economic policy|reason=Subsidies to firms is not a liberal market reform|date=October 2022}} It was hoped this would increase economic growth and improve the quality of investment.<ref name="EP"/> Rural and tribal people protested because they saw them as "pro-rich" and "pro-city" reforms.<ref name="EP"/>

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 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.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.basearticles.com/Art/65874/216/Rajiv-Gandhi-aimed-at-value-based-education-in-rural-India-through-JNVs.html | title=Rajiv Gandhi aimed at value based education in rural India through JNVs | access-date=19 February 2011 | publisher=Pressbrief | archive-date=11 May 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511193152/http://www.basearticles.com/Art/65874/216/Rajiv-Gandhi-aimed-at-value-based-education-in-rural-India-through-JNVs.html | url-status=usurped }}</ref> His efforts created [[MTNL]] in 1986, and his public call offices—better known as PCOs—helped develop the telephone network in rural areas.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://meachq.in/html/rahul_memo.pdf | title=MTNL Letter | access-date=19 February 2011 | date=16 September 2009 | archive-date=25 December 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225145026/http://meachq.in/html/rahul_memo.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref name="princeton.edu">{{cite journal |url=http://www.princeton.edu/~reddings/pubpapers/ABRZ_AER_Sept2008.pdf |title=Unequal effects of Liberalisation – Dismantling the license raj in India |journal=American Economic Review |year=2008 |volume=98 |issue=4 |pages=1397–1412 |author1=Aghion, Philippe |author2=Burgess, Robin |author3=Redding, Stephen J. |author4=Zilibotti, Fabrizio |doi=10.1257/aer.98.4.1397 |access-date=12 March 2011 |archive-date=1 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180301135358/http://www.princeton.edu/~reddings/pubpapers/ABRZ_AER_Sept2008.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
{{See also|List of international prime ministerial trips made by Rajiv Gandhi}}
[[File:President Ronald Reagan Nancy Reagan Rajiv Gandhi and Mrs Gandhi in The Yellow Oval Room During a State Dinner for Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India - DPLA - 77b6a13d5778c7858426fc4fcd08d95b.jpg|thumb|right|President Ronald Reagan, Sonia Gandhi, First Lady Nancy Reagan and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, during a state dinner for Prime Minister Gandhi. June 1985.]]

According to [[Rejaul Karim Laskar]], a scholar of [[Indian foreign policy]] and an ideologue of [[Indian National Congress|Congress party]], Rajiv Gandhi's vision for a new world order was premised on India's place in its front rank.<ref name="diplomatist.com">{{cite journal|last1=Laskar|first1=Rejaul|title=Rajiv Gandhi's Diplomacy: Historic Significance and Contemporary Relevance|journal=Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist|date=September 2014|volume=2|issue=9|page=46|url=http://www.diplomatist.com/dipom09y2014/article015.html|access-date=8 March 2018|archive-date=21 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221161446/http://www.diplomatist.com/dipom09y2014/article015.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to [[Rejaul Karim Laskar|Laskar]], 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."<ref name="diplomatist.com"/> According to [[Rejaul Karim Laskar|Laskar]], Rajiv Gandhi's diplomacy was "properly calibrated" so as to be "conciliatory and accommodating when required" and "assertive when the occasion demanded."<ref name="diplomatist.com"/>

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 the coup. This mission was codenamed as [[Operation Flowers are Blooming]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Modi to the land where India staged 'Operation Wild Flowers are Blooming'|url=http://www.aniin.com/top-story-details.php?va=MzEwMjA=|publisher=Asian News International|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923125211/http://www.aniin.com/top-story-details.php?va=MzEwMjA=|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite news|title=1987 Siachen hero passes away|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1987-Siachen-hero-passes-away/articleshow/16802705.cms|newspaper=Times of India|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322070801/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/1987-Siachen-hero-passes-away/articleshow/16802705.cms|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>[[#Agarwal|Agarwal]], p. 141</ref>

On Thursday, 9 June 1988, at 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.'<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/rajiv-gandhi-plan-a-valuable-solution/article559548.ece| title = Rajiv Gandhi Plan: a valuable solution| website = [[The Hindu]]| date = 8 August 2010| access-date = 6 July 2016| archive-date = 18 May 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140518173221/http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/rajiv-gandhi-plan-a-valuable-solution/article559548.ece| url-status = live}}</ref><ref>PM Rajeev Gandhi at the Fifteenth special session of [[United Nations General Assembly]][http://fissilematerials.org/library/gan98.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131231951/http://fissilematerials.org/library/gan98.pdf|date=31 January 2017}}</ref>

He said:

<blockquote>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 the existing convention against the military use of biological weapons. The ambit of our concern must extend to all means of mass [[annihilation]].</blockquote>

This was based on his prior historic speech before the Japanese [[National Diet]] on 29 November 1985, in which he said:

<blockquote>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 is the very condition of human survival in our age.<ref>Japanese [[National Diet]] on 29 November 1985 [http://www.sgiquarterly.org/global2009Oct-1.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608091514/http://www.sgiquarterly.org/global2009Oct-1.html|date=8 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~worldjpn/documents/indices/JPSA/index-ENG.html| title = Documents related to Japan – South Asia Relations}}</ref><ref>Speech by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India at the Joint Session of the Japanese Upper and Lower Houses [http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~worldjpn/documents/texts/JPSA/19851129.S1J.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919224432/http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~worldjpn/documents/texts/JPSA/19851129.S1J.html|date=19 September 2016}}</ref></blockquote>

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.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newslaundry.com/shorts/indias-nsg-bid-foiled-china-stands-tall-switzerland-backstabs/ |title=India's NSG bid foiled – China stands tall, Switzerland 'backstabs' |date=24 June 2016 |work=News Laundry |access-date=9 March 2022 |archive-date=19 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519054521/https://www.newslaundry.com/shorts/indias-nsg-bid-foiled-china-stands-tall-switzerland-backstabs/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/china-foils-indias-bid-to-join-nsg/| title = China foils India's bid to join NSG| date = 24 June 2016| work = Daily Pakistan| access-date = 9 March 2022| archive-date = 16 November 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181116050804/https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/china-foils-indias-bid-to-join-nsg/| url-status = dead}}</ref>

In December 1988, Gandhi visited the People’s Republic of China, becoming the first Indian prime minister to do so since Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954. During the visit, he met with [[Paramount leader|Chinese paramount leader]] [[Deng Xiaoping]], and the two sides agreed to establish a [[India–China Joint Working Group on the Boundary Question|Joint Working Group]] to seek a solution to the long-standing border [[Sino-Indian border dispute|dispute]] and to expand cooperation in cultural, educational and scientific fields. In a joint communiqué, both governments agreed to maintain “peace and tranquility” along the border areas, while Gandhi acknowledged that [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]] was an internal affair of China.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ganguly |first1=Sumit |title=The Sino-Indian Border Talks, 1981-1989: A View from New Delhi |journal=Asian Survey |date=1989 |volume=29 |issue=12 |pages=1123–1135 |doi=10.2307/2644760 |jstor=2644760 }}</ref>

====Pakistan====
In February 1987, the Pakistani president [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|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, India|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]].<ref name="Sharma, p. 16">[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 16</ref>

====Sri Lanka====
{{See also|Sri Lankan civil war|Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War}}
The [[Sri Lankan civil war|Sri Lankan Civil War]] broke out with the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE), which was demanding an independent [[Tamil people|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 District|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.<ref>[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 14</ref>

Gandhi signed 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 language|Tamil]] as an official language of Sri Lanka.<ref name="SL"/> Gandhi said:

<blockquote>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 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 is a national endeavour.<ref name="SL">[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 15</ref></blockquote>

Chanderasekar withdrew the IPKF in 1989.<ref name="Sharma, p. 16"/>

====Assault by Sri Lankan guard====
{{See also|List of assassination attempts on prime ministers of India}}
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.<ref name="NIE">{{cite news|title=No regrets for attack on Rajiv, says Lankan guard|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/No-regrets-for-attack-on-Rajiv-says-Lankan-guard/2013/07/30/article1708707.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801194401/http://newindianexpress.com/world/No-regrets-for-attack-on-Rajiv-says-Lankan-guard/2013/07/30/article1708707.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 August 2013|newspaper=New Indian Express|access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="injure"/> The guard said his intention was to kill Gandhi because of "the damage he had caused" to Sri Lanka. Wijemuni was imprisoned for {{frac|2|1|2}} years for the assault.<ref name="NIE"/> Gandhi later said about the incident:

<blockquote>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.<ref name="injure">{{cite news|title=Sri Lankan in Honour Guard Attacks Gandhi|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-30-mn-453-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=20 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820125742/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-30-mn-453-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

===Regional issues===
[[File:Bajaj-Polar-3.jpg|thumb|right|Rajiv Gandhi (left) congratulates Indian Army explorers for reaching the South Pole.]]

====Punjab====
Soon after assuming office, Gandhi released 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 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.<ref>[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 10</ref>

In May 1988, Gandhi launched 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".<ref>[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 11</ref>

====Northeast India====
Gandhi's prime-ministership marked an increase of [[Insurgency in Northeast India|insurgency in northeast India]]. [[Mizo National Front]] demanded independence for [[Mizoram]]. In 1987, Gandhi addressed this problem; Mizoram and [[Arunachal Pradesh]] were given the status of states that were earlier union territories.<ref>[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 12</ref> 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 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.<ref>[[#Sharma|Sharma]], p. 13</ref>

===Technology===
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]] were developed.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Franda, Marcus F. |title=China and India Online: Information Technology Politics and Diplomacy in the|url=https://archive.org/details/chinaindiaonline0000fran|url-access=registration|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780742519466|page=[https://archive.org/details/chinaindiaonline0000fran/page/137 137]|year=2002}}</ref> 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 a thing for the use of the rich, but credit goes to Rajiv Gandhi for taking them to the rural masses".<ref name="RG">{{cite web|title=Telecom revolution driving development; credit to Rajiv|url=http://www.oneindia.com/2007/01/18/telecom-revolution-driving-development-credit-to-rajiv-pitroda-1169113386.html|publisher=One India|access-date=26 May 2015|date=18 January 2007|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526133008/http://www.oneindia.com/2007/01/18/telecom-revolution-driving-development-credit-to-rajiv-pitroda-1169113386.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 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".<ref name="RG"/> Gandhi's government also allowed the import of fully assembled motherboards, which led to the price of computers being reduced.<ref name="tel"/> According to some commentators,  the seed for the information technology (IT) revolution was also planted during Rajiv Gandhi's time.<ref name="tel">{{cite magazine|title=Economic Milestone: Ushering in Telecom Reforms (1985)|url=http://forbesindia.com/article/independence-day-special/economic-milestone-ushering-in-telecom-reforms-(1985)/38441/1?utm=slidebox|magazine=Forbes India|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526132852/http://forbesindia.com/article/independence-day-special/economic-milestone-ushering-in-telecom-reforms-(1985)/38441/1?utm=slidebox|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Bofors scandal, HDW scandal===
{{Main|Bofors scandal}}

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 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 was posthumously cleared of this allegation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3458319.stm |title=Rajiv Gandhi cleared over bribery |work=BBC News |date=4 February 2004 |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=6 February 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040206102131/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3458319.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 [[Shishumar-class submarine|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 a telegram from the Indian ambassador in Germany, stating that an Indian agent had received commissions in the [[Shishumar-class submarine|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.<ref name="vp">{{cite news |last1=Gupta |first1=Shekhar |title=Walk the talk – an interview with V. P. Singh |url=https://www.ndtv.com/video/shows/walk-the-talk/walk-the-talk-with-vp-singh-aired-july-2005-303898 |access-date=25 October 2018 |publisher=NDTV |date=1 July 2005 |archive-date=25 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181025150119/https://www.ndtv.com/video/shows/walk-the-talk/walk-the-talk-with-vp-singh-aired-july-2005-303898 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In his book, ''Unknown Facets of Rajiv Gandhi, Jyoti Basu and Indrajit Gupta'', released in November 2013, former [[Central Bureau of Investigation|CBI]] director Dr. A P Mukherjee wrote that Gandhi wanted commission paid by defence suppliers to be used exclusively for meeting running expenses of the Congress party.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rajiv-gandhi-told-me-to-use-arms-deal-payoffs-for-party-funds-excbi-chief/1194313/ Rajiv Gandhi told me to use arms deal payoffs for party funds: Ex-CBI chief] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114134414/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rajiv-gandhi-told-me-to-use-arms-deal-payoffs-for-party-funds-excbi-chief/1194313/ |date=14 November 2013 }}. Indian Express (13 November 2013). Retrieved on 21 May 2014.</ref> Mukherjee said Gandhi explained his position in a meeting between the two at the prime minister's residence on 19 June 1989.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rajiv Gandhi wanted Bofors money to run Congress: Ex-CBI chief|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rajiv-Gandhi-wanted-Bofors-money-to-run-Congress-Ex-CBI-chief/articleshow/25720914.cms|newspaper=The Times of India|date=14 November 2013}}FTP ACCESS</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Bofors scandal more of a media trial: Pranab Mukherjee|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/bofors-scandal-more-of-a-media-trial-pranab-mukherjee-254744-2015-05-26|magazine=India Today|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526132626/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bofors-scandal-more-of-a-media-trial-pranab-mukherjee/1/440281.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Post-Premiership ==
Opposition parties Lok Dal, [[Indian National Congress (Socialist)]] and [[Jan Morcha]] united under Singh to form the [[Janata Dal]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Janata Parivar: Can 'socialist' Mulayam and co stop the Modi wave?|url=http://m.firstpost.com/politics/janata-parivar-can-socialist-mulayam-and-co-stop-the-modi-wave-1835149.html|magazine=First Post|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526151155/http://m.firstpost.com/politics/janata-parivar-can-socialist-mulayam-and-co-stop-the-modi-wave-1835149.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Singh led the [[National Front (India)|National Front]] coalition to victory in [[1989 Indian general election|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 the [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]] and the [[Communist Party of India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History of Lok Sabha elections|url=http://www.smetimes.in/smetimes/general-elections-2009/miscellaneous/2009/Mar/23/history-of-lok-sabha-elections5584.html|publisher=SME Times|access-date=26 May 2015|archive-date=28 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150828062922/http://www.smetimes.in/smetimes/general-elections-2009/miscellaneous/2009/Mar/23/history-of-lok-sabha-elections5584.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Eminent lawyer and politician, former [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Law Minister of India]] [[Ram Jethmalani]] said that as prime minister, Gandhi was "lacklustre and mediocre".<ref name="medio"/>

==Assassination==
{{Main|Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi}}

Rajiv Gandhi's last public meeting was on 21 May 1991,<ref name="brit">{{cite web |title=Rajiv Gandhi {{!}} prime minister of India |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rajiv-Gandhi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721075521/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rajiv-Gandhi |archive-date=21 July 2023 |access-date=21 November 2021 |website=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Patel |first=Dhirubhai |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7s92AQAACAAJ |title=Rajiv Gandhi: Youngest Indian Prime Minister |date=17 February 2017 |publisher=Independently published |isbn=978-1-5206-2973-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shri Rajiv Gandhi |url=https://archivepmo.nic.in/shrirajivgandhi.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150519033136/https://archivepmo.nic.in/shrirajivgandhi.html |archive-date=19 May 2015 |access-date=14 January 2024 |publisher=Prime Ministers of India}}</ref> at [[Sriperumbudur]], a village approximately {{Convert|40|km|miles|abbr=on}} from [[Madras]] (present-day Chennai), where he was assassinated while campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate. At 10:10 pm, a woman later identified as 22-year old [[Kalaivani Rajaratnam]] – a member of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] – approached Gandhi in public and greeted him. She then bent down to touch his feet and detonated a belt laden with {{Convert|700|g|lbs|abbr=on}} of [[RDX]] explosives tucked under her dress.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.india-today.com/itoday/01021999/rdx.html |author=Ramesh Vinayak |title=The Nation: Terrorism: The RDX Files |publisher=India-today.com |date=1 February 1999 |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009004813/http://india-today.com/itoday/01021999/rdx.html |archive-date=9 October 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[File:Rajiv Gandhi Memorial-Delhi.jpg|thumb|''[[Raj Ghat|Veer Bhumi]]'' at Delhi, where Rajiv&nbsp;Gandhi was cremated]]The explosion killed Gandhi, Rajaratnam, and at least 14 other people.<ref>{{cite news
|title=1991: Bomb kills India's former leader Rajiv Gandhi
|date=21 May 1991
|work=[[BBC News]]
|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/21/newsid_2504000/2504739.stm
|access-date=16 June 2020
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080727032334/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/21/newsid_2504000/2504739.stm| archive-date= 27 July 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> The assassination was captured by a 21-year-old local photographer, whose camera and film were found at the site. The cameraman, named Haribabu, died in the blast but the camera remained intact.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/assassination-of-rajiv-gandhi/|title=Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi|website=Iconic Photos|access-date=27 March 2016|date=21 May 2012|archive-date=18 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918190346/https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/assassination-of-rajiv-gandhi/|url-status=live}}</ref> Gandhi's mutilated body was airlifted to the [[All India Institute of Medical Sciences]] in New Delhi for post-mortem, reconstruction, and embalming.<ref name="rajivgandhifuneral">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAZVQqntxY0C&q=rajiv+gandhi+body+reconstructed&pg=PA70 |title=Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi – Shashi Ahluwalia, Meenakshi Ahluwalia |access-date=19 January 2013|isbn=9788170993155 |date=1 January 1991 |last1=Ahluwalia |first1=Meenakshi |publisher=Mittal Publications }}</ref>

A state funeral was held for Gandhi on 24 May 1991; it was telecast live and was attended by dignitaries from over 60 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/essay/assassination-of-rajiv-gandhi-and-its-aftermath-essay.html |title=Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi and its aftermath |publisher=Knowledge Hub |date=21 May 1991 |access-date=19 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430204658/http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/essay/assassination-of-rajiv-gandhi-and-its-aftermath-essay.html |archive-date=30 April 2013 }}</ref> He was cremated at [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Vir Bhumi]], on the banks of the river [[Yamuna river|Yamuna]] near the [[Samadhi (shrine)|shrine]]s of his mother Indira Gandhi, brother Sanjay Gandhi, and grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru.<ref name=brit/>

===Aftermath===
[[File:Rajiv Gandhi Memorial lawn.jpg|thumb|right|The ''[[Rajiv Gandhi Memorial]]'', at [[Sriperumbudur]]]]

The Supreme Court judgement, by Justice [[K. T. Thomas (Justice)|K. T. Thomas]], confirmed that Gandhi was killed because of personal animosity by the LTTE chief [[Velupillai Prabhakaran|Prabhakaran]] arising from his sending the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka and the [[Indian Peace Keeping Force#Controversies|IPKF atrocities]] against Sri Lankan Tamils.<ref>''State of Tamil Nadu through Superintendent of Police, CBI/SIT vs. Nalini & 25 Ors.'', Death Ref. Case No. 1 of 1998 (@ D.No.1151 of 1998) per [http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf K.T. Thomas] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102222525/http://cbi.nic.in/dop/judgements/thomas.pdf |date=2 November 2011 }}, para. 163</ref> The Gandhi administration had already antagonised other Tamil militant organisations like [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam|PLOTE]] for reversing [[1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt|the 1988 military coup in Maldives]]. The judgement further cites the death of [[Thileepan]] in a hunger strike and the suicide by 12 LTTE cadres in a vessel in Oct 1987.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Singh |first1=Sushant |title=Operation Cactus: The Indian military was asked to intervene in the Maldives 30 years ago as well|date=7 February 2018 |url=https://scroll.in/article/867736/operation-cactus-the-indian-military-was-asked-to-intervene-in-the-maldives-20-years-ago-as-well |website=Scroll.in}}</ref>

In the [[Jain Commission]] report, various people and agencies are named as suspects in the murder of Rajiv Gandhi. Among them, the cleric [[Chandraswami]] was suspected of involvement, including financing the assassination.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19980711/19250694.html |title=Probe Chandraswami's role in Rajiv case{{mdash}}Jain report |work=The Indian Express |date=11 July 1998 |author=Sarin, Rtiu |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=3 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103144945/http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/19980711/19250694.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=11 December 2004 |url=http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/dec112004/i2.asp |title=CBI sees godman's role in Rajiv's killing |work=Decan Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041228043145/http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/dec112004/i2.asp |archive-date=28 December 2004 |access-date=16 March 2022}}</ref> Nalini Sriharan, the only surviving member of the five-member squad behind the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, is serving life imprisonment. Arrested on 14 June 1991, she and 25 others were sentenced to death by a special court on 28 January 1998. The court confirmed the death sentences of four of the convicts, including Nalini, on 11 May 1999.<ref>''State of Tamil Nadu through Superintendent of Police, CBI/SIT vs. Nalini & 25 Ors.'', Death Ref. Case No. 1 of 1998 (@ D.No.1151 of 1998) per [http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=16829 D.P. Wadhwa] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010037/http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=16829 |date=27 April 2014 }} and [http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=16823 S.S.M. Quadri] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010116/http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=16823 |date=27 April 2014 }}</ref> Nalini was a close friend of an LTTE operative known as Sriharan alias Murugan, another convict in the case who has been sentenced to death. Nalini later gave birth to a girl, Harithra, in prison. Nalini's death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in April 2000.<ref>G.O.Ms.No.406, Home Department, dated 24 April 2000</ref> Rajiv's widow, Sonia Gandhi, intervened and asked for clemency for Nalini on the grounds of the latter being a mother.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/526728.stm|title=BBC News – SOUTH ASIA – Gandhi pleads for husband's killer|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=13 October 2015|archive-date=1 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001202802/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/526728.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Later, it was reported that Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka, had met Nalini at Vellore Central Prison in March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080416/main3.htm|title=The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Main News|work=tribuneindia.com|access-date=13 October 2015|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410205926/https://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080416/main3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Nalini regrets the killing of Gandhi and said the real conspirators have not been caught yet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/I-regret-Rajiv-Gandhis-assassination-Nalini/articleshow/3320790.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430180742/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-08-03/india/27901060_1_rajiv-gandhi-assassination-case-nalini-sriharan-suicide-bomber |url-status=live |archive-date=30 April 2013 |work=[[The Times of India]] |title=I regret Rajiv Gandhi's assassination: Nalini |date=3 August 2008 |access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_my-sins-washed-away-says-nalini-sriharan_1159967|title=My sins washed away, says Nalini Sriharan|date=16 April 2008|work=dna|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-date=4 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404182419/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_my-sins-washed-away-says-nalini-sriharan_1159967|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2011, the president of India rejected the clemency pleas of Murugan and two others on death row—Suthendraraja, alias Santhan, and Perarivalan, alias Arivu.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nalini-meets-hubby-on-death-row-/articleshow/9939678.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430171036/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-11/india/30141652_1_vellore-prison-nalini-sriharan-puzhal-prison |url-status=live |archive-date=30 April 2013 |title=Nalini meets hubby on death row |date=11 September 2011 |work=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref> The execution of the three convicts was scheduled for 9 September 2011. However, the [[Madras High Court]] intervened and stayed their executions for eight weeks based on their petitions. In 2010, Nalini had petitioned the Madras High Court seeking release because she had served more than 20 years in prison. She argued that even life convicts were released after 14 years. The state government rejected her request.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/latest-headlines/story/rajiv-gandhi-assassin-nalini-sriharan-not-to-be-freed-70411-2010-03-28 |title=Rajiv Gandhi assassin Nalini Sriharan not to be freed : Latest Headlines, News – India Today |publisher=Indiatoday.intoday.in |date=29 March 2010 |access-date=27 February 2013 |archive-date=6 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006004448/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/Rajiv+Gandhi+assassin+Nalini+Sriharan+not+to+be+freed/1/90329.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rajiv-Gandhis-assassin-Nalini-gets-back-A-class-jail-facilities/articleshow/12283636.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130227060118/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-16/india/31200948_1_special-prison-puzhal-m-radhakrishnan |url-status=live |archive-date=27 February 2013 |work=[[The Times of India]] |title=Rajiv Gandhi's assassin Nalini gets back 'A' class jail facilities |date=16 March 2012 |access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/rajiv-gandhi-s-killer-nalini-breaks-down-132130 |title=Rajiv Gandhi's killer Nalini breaks down |publisher=NDTV.com |date=7 September 2011 |access-date=27 February 2013 |archive-date=30 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430195136/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/rajiv-gandhi-s-killer-nalini-breaks-down-132130 |url-status=live }}</ref> Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan have said they are political prisoners rather than ordinary criminals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_rajiv-gandhi-assassination-convict-nalini-shifted-to-vellore-prison_1584208 |title=Nalini Sriharan back in Vellore – India – DNA |publisher=Dnaindia.com |access-date=27 February 2013|date=7 September 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Nalini-shifted-from-Vellore-jail-to-Puzhal/articleshow/6103653.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430154648/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-06-29/chennai/28311629_1_premature-release-prison-manual-rules-nalini-sriharan |url-status=live |archive-date=30 April 2013 |work=[[The Times of India]] |title=Nalini shifted from Vellore jail to Puzhal |date=29 June 2010 |access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Subramani, A |date=21 January 2010|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/After-19-yrs-in-jail-for-Rajiv-murder-Nalini-may-be-freed/articleshow/5482411.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430164451/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-21/india/28126770_1_premature-release-vellore-prison-nalini |url-status=live |archive-date=30 April 2013 |work=[[The Times of India]] |title=After 19 yrs in jail for Rajiv murder, Nalini may be freed |access-date=27 February 2013}}</ref> On 18 February 2014, the Supreme Court of India commuted the death sentences of Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan to life imprisonment, holding that the 11-year-long delay in deciding their mercy petition had a dehumanising effect on them.<ref>[http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41228 ''V. Sriharan @ Murugan vs. Union of India & Ors.'', T.C. (Crl.) Nos. 1–3 of 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010319/http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41228 |date=27 April 2014 }} citing [http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41163 ''Shatrughan Chauhan & Anr. vs. Union of India & Ors.'', W.P. (Crl.) No. 55 of 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234512/http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41163 |date=26 April 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Supreme Court commuted Death Sentence of Rajiv Gandhi's Killers to Life Imprisonment|url=http://news.biharprabha.com/2014/02/supreme-court-death-sentence-of-rajiv-gandhis-killers-to-life-imprisonment/|work=IANS|date=18 February 2014|publisher=news.biharprabha.com|access-date=18 February 2014}}</ref> On 19 February 2014 Tamil Nadu government decided to release all seven convicts in Rajiv Gandhi's assassination case, including A. G. Perarivalan and Nalini.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chennaivision.com/news/2014/72578.php |title=TN to release all Rajiv convicts |date=19 February 2014 |access-date=19 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304231802/http://chennaivision.com/news/2014/72578.php |archive-date=4 March 2014 }}</ref> The [[Government of India]] challenged this decision before the Supreme Court, which referred the case to a Constitution Bench.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41465| title = ''Union of India vs. V. Sriharan @ Murugan & Ors.'', W.P. (Crl.) 48 of 2014| access-date = 26 April 2014| archive-date = 27 April 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140427010028/http://judis.nic.in/supremecourt/imgs1.aspx?filename=41465| url-status = dead}}</ref>

The report of the Jain Commission created controversy when it accused the [[Tamil Nadu]] chief minister [[Karunanidhi]] of a role in the assassination, leading to Congress withdrawing its support for the [[I. K. Gujral]] government and fresh elections in 1998. LTTE spokesman [[Anton Balasingham]] told the Indian television channel [[NDTV]] the killing was a "great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy which we deeply regret".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=70062 |title=We deeply regret Rajiv's death: LTTE |work=The Indian Express |date=27 June 2006 |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=13 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513024836/http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=70062 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5122032.stm |title=Tamil Tiger 'regret' over Gandhi |work=BBC News |date=27 June 2006 |access-date=7 March 2010 |archive-date=21 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621195429/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5122032.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> A memorial called [[Raj Ghat and associated memorials|Vir Bhumi]] was constructed at the place of Gandhi's cremation in Delhi. In 1992, the [[Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award]] was instituted by the Indian National Congress Party.

Since his death, 21 May has been declared Anti-Terrorism Day in India.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/assam-observes-anti-terrorism-day-on-rajiv-gandhis-death-anniversary/articleshow/47371181.cms |title=Assam observes Anti-Terrorism Day on Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=21 May 2005 |access-date=14 March 2018 |archive-date=17 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317170514/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/assam-observes-anti-terrorism-day-on-rajiv-gandhis-death-anniversary/articleshow/47371181.cms |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Wide image| Rajib Gandhi Memorial.jpg|690px|A Panoramic view of Rajiv Gandhi Memorial }}

== Awards and honours ==
=== National honours ===
*{{flag|India}}:
**[[File:Bharat Ratna Ribbon.svg|50px]] [[Bharat Ratna]] (1991, posthumous)

=== Foreign honours ===
*{{flag|Nicaragua}}:
**[[File:Orden Sandino 1.svg|50px]] Order of Augusto César Sandino, ''Battle of San Jacinto'' (1986)<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. Congressmen Plead for Sikhs India Gives Aid to Nicaragua|url=https://sikhheritageeducation.com/u-s-congressmen-plead-for-sikhs-india-gives-aid-to-nicaragua/|publisher=Sikh Heritage Education|date=31 October 1986}}</ref>

==Institutions named after Gandhi==
{{Main|List of things named after Rajiv Gandhi}}

==In popular culture==
{{See also|:Category:Cultural depictions of Rajiv Gandhi|:Category:Works about the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi}}
A number of films have been made in India focusing on Rajiv Gandhi's life especially on his assassination. ''India's Rajiv'' is a 1991 Indian documentary television series by [[Simi Garewal]], released closely after Gandhi's assassination it covers his life up to that event.<ref>{{Citation|last=Simi Garewal|title=India's Rajiv – Part – 1 The Person|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1__XkqdH3I| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414215000/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1__XkqdH3I| archive-date=2017-04-14 | url-status=dead|access-date=2021-06-10}}</ref> Indian films specifically focusing on the assassination plot include [[The Terrorist (1997 film)|''The Terrorist'']] (1997) by [[Santosh Sivan]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Ebert|first=Roger|date=17 July 2005|title=The Terrorist Movie Review & Film Summary (2000)|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-terrorist-2000|access-date=25 June 2020|publisher=Rogerebert.com|archive-date=15 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715225201/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-terrorist-2000|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Cyanide (2006 film)|''Cyanide'']] (2006) by [[A. M. R. Ramesh]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=Cyanide|url=https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/cyanide/0-0-cyanide|website=[[zee5]]|access-date=11 June 2021|archive-date=7 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307010618/https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/cyanide/0-0-cyanide|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Kuttrapathirikai]]'' (2007) by [[R. K. Selvamani]] with [[Anupam Kher]] in the role of Gandhi,<ref>{{cite web|title=Yadavalaya Films, Represented By ... vs The Film Certification Appellate ... on 20 March, 2006|url=http://indiankanoon.org/doc/1042072/|access-date=27 June 2012|publisher=Indiankanoon.org|archive-date=2 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192249/http://indiankanoon.org/doc/1042072/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Mission 90 Days]]'' (2007) by [[Major Ravi]],<ref>[https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/film-throws-new-light-on-rajiv-assassins/story-eYOoO0BZoW11VzgX4ArbfP.html Film Throws New Light on Rajiv Assassins] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611121837/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/film-throws-new-light-on-rajiv-assassins/story-eYOoO0BZoW11VzgX4ArbfP.html |date=11 June 2021 }}. [[Hindustan Times]].</ref> and ''[[Madras Cafe]]'' (2013) by [[Shoojit Sircar]] starring Sanjay Gurbaxani as the former prime minister.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Madras Café|url=https://www.netflix.com/title/70293703|access-date=11 June 2021|website=[[Netflix]]|archive-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611121838/https://www.netflix.com/title/70293703|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Pradhanmantri]]'' ({{Literal translation|Prime Minister}}), a 2013 Indian documentary television series which aired on [[ABP News]] and covers the various policies and political tenures of Indian PMs, includes the tenureship of Rajiv Gandhi in the episodes "Rajiv Gandhi becomes PM and Shah Bano case", "Ayodhya dispute", "Rajiv Gandhi and Bofors scandal", and "Rise of LTTE and Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi" with [[Mohit Chauhan (actor)|Mohit Chauhan]] portraying the role of Gandhi.<ref>{{Cite web|date=17 November 2013|title=Pradhanmantri – Episode 19: The {{sic|assas|ination|nolink=y}} of Rajiv Gandhi|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5DUONLHGUU&list=PL4gSUwMBf0L0p8mciCow7pSMs0ZViBe1R&index=19|publisher=ABP News}}</ref>

== Notes ==
<references group="lower-alpha" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Cited sources ==
*{{cite book|ref=Agarwal|title=Rajiv Gandhi|author=Agarwal, Meena |year=2004|isbn=9788128809002|location=|pages=|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lC4dLXMz-wEC&q=rajiv+gandhi+biography}}
*{{cite book|ref=Aiyar|title=Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist|author=Aiyar, Mani Shankar |publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2006|isbn=9780143062059|author-link=Mani Shankar Aiyar}}
*{{cite book|ref=Sharma|title=Journey of a Nation|author=Sharma, Anand |publisher=Academic Foundation|year=2011|isbn=9788171888405|author-link=Anand Sharma}}

==Further reading==
* Bhagwati, Jaimini. ''The Promise of India: How Prime Ministers Nehru to Modi Shaped the Nation (1947-2019)'' (Penguin Random House India, 2019), chapter 5.
* {{cite journal |last1=Blakeslee |first1=David S. |title=Politics and public goods in developing countries: Evidence from the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi |journal=Journal of Public Economics |date=July 2018 |volume=163 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.12.011 }}
* Guha, Ramachandra. ''India after Gandhi: the history of the world's largest democracy'' (2007) pp 565–594. [https://archive.org/details/indiaaftergandhi0000guha online]
* Haskins, James. ''India under Indira and Rajiv Gandhi'' (1989) [https://archive.org/details/indiaunderindira00hask online]
* Kaarthikenyan, D. R., and Radhavinod Raju. ''Rajiv Gandhi Assassination'' (Sterling Publishers, 2008).
* {{cite journal |last1=Kapur |first1=Harish |title=India's foreign policy under Rajiv Gandhi |journal=The Round Table |date=October 1987 |volume=76 |issue=304 |pages=469–480 |doi=10.1080/00358538708453838 }}
* Kapur, Harish. ''Foreign policies of India's prime ministers'' (Lancer Publishers LLC, 2013) [https://books.google.com/books?id=NRTZAQAAQBAJ&dq=%22harish+Kapur%22&pg=PT368 online].
* {{cite book |editor-first1=David M. |editor-first2=C. Raja |editor-first3=Srinath |editor-last1=Malone |editor-last2=Mohan |editor-last3=Raghavan |title=The Oxford Handbook of Indian Foreign Policy |date=2010 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198743538.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-874353-8 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Manor |first1=James |title=Rajiv Gandhi and Post-Election India: Opportunities and Risks |journal=The World Today |date=1985 |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=51–54 |jstor=40395715 }}
* Mehta, Ved. ''Rajiv Gandhi and Rama's kingdom'' (Yale UP, 1995) [https://archive.org/details/rajivgandhiramas0000meht_f5z3 online] scholarly history of politics.
* Nugent, Nicholas. ''Rajiv Gandhi: son of a dynasty'' (BBC Books, 1990) [https://archive.org/details/rajivgandhisonof0000nuge online]
* {{cite journal |last1=Ramanujam |first1=Velpula |last2=Dabhade |first2=Manish S. |title=Rajiv Gandhi's Summit Diplomacy: A Study of the Beijing Summit, 1988 |journal=China Report |date=November 2019 |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=310–327 |doi=10.1177/0009445519875244 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Roberts |first1=Michael |title=Killing Rajiv Gandhi: Dhanu's sacrificial metamorphosis in death |journal=South Asian History and Culture |date=22 December 2009 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=25–41 |doi=10.1080/19472490903387191 }}
*Shourie, Arun. ''These lethal, inexorable laws: Rajiv, his men and his regime'' (Delhi: South Asia Books, 1992).
* Weiner, Myron. "Rajiv Gandhi: A mid-term assessment." in ''India Briefing, 1987'' (Routledge, 2019) pp.&nbsp;1–23.
* {{cite journal |last1=Zaitcev |first1=Andrei |title=The activity of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty in Modern Indian English-language Historiography (from 1991 to the present) |journal=Genesis: Исторические Исследования |date=July 2022 |issue=7 |pages=1–13 |doi=10.25136/2409-868X.2022.7.38347 |doi-access=free }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rajiv Gandhi}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/former_pm/श्री-राजीव-गांधी/ Profile] at PMO website
*{{OL author}}
*{{C-SPAN}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0304162}}

{{Navboxes
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{{s-par|in-lwr}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Sanjay Gandhi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament<br />for [[Amethi (Lok Sabha constituency)|Amethi]] |years=1981–1991}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Satish Sharma]]}}
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{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Indira Gandhi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of India]]|years=31 October 1984 – 2 December 1989}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[V. P. Singh]]}}
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{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Planning Commission (India)|Planning Commission]]|years=31 October 1984 – 2 December 1989}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Indira Gandhi]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Union Minister of External Affairs]]|years=31 October 1984 – 24 September 1985}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Bali Ram Bhagat]]}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[Khurshed Alam Khan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Ministry of Civil Aviation (India)|Union Minister of Civil Aviation]]|years=31 October 1984 – 24 September 1985}}
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{{s-bef|before=[[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Defence (India)|Union Minister of Defence]]|years=25 September 1985 – 24 January 1987}}
{{s-aft|after=[[V. P. Singh]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[V. P. Singh]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of Finance (India)|Union Minister of Finance]]|years=24 January 1987 – 25 July 1987}}
{{s-aft|after=[[N. D. Tiwari]]}}
{{s-break}}
{{s-bef|before=[[N. D. Tiwari]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Union Minister of External Affairs]]|years=25 July 1987 – 25 June 1988}}
{{s-aft|after=[[P. V. Narasimha Rao]]}}
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{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ataur Rahman Khan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairperson of [[South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation|SAARC]]|years=16 November 1986 – 1 November 1987 }}
{{s-aft|after=[[Marich Man Singh Shrestha]]}}
{{s-end}}
}}
{{Prime Ministers of India}}
{{Defence Ministers of India}}
{{Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India)}}
{{Ministry of Communications (India)}}
{{Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (India)}}
{{Indian National Congress Presidents}}
{{Bharat Ratna}}
{{Sri Lankan Civil War}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gandhi, Rajiv}}
[[Category:Rajiv Gandhi| ]]
[[Category:Kashmiri Pandits]]
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