Was Indira Gandhi a Good Leader?

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Bibliography * Katherine Frank, Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi, Houghton Mifflin Publishers, New York 2002 * Vinay Lal (Assistant Professor of History UCLA), Indira Gandhi, http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/History/Independent/Indira.html , Date accessed: 11 June 2012 * Yogendra K. Malik, Dhirendra K. Vajpeyi, India: the years of Indira Gandhi, Library of Congress, Netherlands, 1988 * Barbara A. Somervill, Indira Gandhi: Political Leader in India, Compass Point Books, Minneapolis, 2007 * Maria Ulicny, Indira Gandhi, http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/igandhi.html, Date accessed: 13 June 2012 * Francis Watson, A Concise History: India, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London, 1974 Was Indira Gandhi a great leader? Indira Gandhi is credited for leading her nation into industrial and social revolution. She was known for her political prowess which she used, along with her popularity, to dominate Indian politics for 17 years. However, she lacked the qualities of a great leader. Famous leaders such as Hitler, M. Gandhi and her own father Nehru, possessed common features in their leadership. They lead with direction because they had a vision. To achieve their ultimate goal, they struggled till the end for their purpose, with unwavering resolve. Indira Gandhi lacked strong ideology and her achievements were superficial, driven by political gain. She described her goals vaguely, saying ''I am a politician in the sense that I want a particular kind of India, an India without poverty, without injustice, and India free of any foreign influence.'' She frequently referred to socialism and empathy for the poor but had no ethical or ideological commitment. Her campaigns, such as “Garibi Hatao”, were for mobilizing voters rather than achieving any set policy goals. At the time, India was experiencing change in social structure. A

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