Rajiv Gandhi Biography 2025: Rajiv Gandhi (pronounced [raːdʒiːʋ ɡaːndʱiː] in Hindi) ⓘ was a politician from 20 August 1944 until 21 May 1991.[2]From 1984 until 1989, [3], an Indian politician, led India as its sixth prime minister. At the age of forty, he became the youngest Indian prime minister when he entered power following the assassination of his mother, the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi. He held the office until the 1989 election, at which point he was elected to the Lok Sabha as Leader of the Opposition. He left the job in December 1990, six months before he was assassinated.
Gandhi was not connected to Mahatma Gandhi, the well-known Indian leader. Rather, he belonged to the influential Nehru-Gandhi family, which had ties to the Indian National Congress party. His maternal grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, served as prime minister for a significant portion of his youth. Gandhi studied at the University of Cambridge and the prestigious boarding school The Doon School in the United Kingdom. After his return to India in 1966, he started working as a professional pilot for Indian Airlines, a state-owned airline. He wed Sonia Maino in 1968, and the two of them made Delhi their home after having Rahul and Priyanka. Gandhi remained apolitical throughout the majority of the 1970s, even though his younger brother Sanjay was an MP and his mother was prime minister.
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Rajiv Gandhi Biography 2025
From 1984 to 1989, Rajiv Gandhi led India as its seventh prime minister. Sadbhavana Diwas is observed on August 20, the anniversary of his birth, each year. On this day in history, Rajiv Gandhi turns 79. Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Modi among others paid their respects to him. At forty years old, Rajiv Gandhi became India’s youngest prime minister following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Rajiv Gandhi was killed in 1991 while participating in an electoral campaign. The Indian government bestowed the Bharat Ratna upon Rajiv Gandhi upon his demise. Rajiv Gandhi’s death anniversary is today, 29 years ago.
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi, an Indian politician, was the 6th Prime Minister of India from 1984 to 1989. Following the assassination of his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he assumed office and became the youngest Indian prime minister at the age of 40.
Born: 20 August 1944, Mumbai
Assassinated: 21 May 1991, Sriperumbudur
Previous offices: Leader of the Opposition of Lok Sabha (1989–1990), MORE
Spouse: Sonia Gandhi (m. 1968–1991)
Children: Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Parents: Indira Gandhi, Feroze Gandhi
Awards: Bharat Ratna, Indira Gandhi Prize
Net Worth
According to corporate shareholdings reported for March 31, 2025, individuals corresponding to Rajiv Gandhi publicly possess 1 stock valued at more than Rs 326.6 Cr. These shares are owned by Rajiv Gandhi based on the shareholding information submitted to the exchanges. The most recent quarter may have incomplete data as some companies might not have disclosed their shareholding information yet.
Rajiv Gandhi Biography 2025 Quick Info
Born
Rajiv Gandhi
20 August 1944
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India)
Died
21 May 1991 (aged 46)
Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India
Manner of death
Assassination
Political party
Indian National Congress
Spouse
Sonia Maino
(m. 1968)
Children
Rahul
Priyanka
Parents
Feroze Gandhi (father)
Indira Gandhi (mother)
Relatives
Nehru–Gandhi family
Alma mater
Trinity College, Cambridge (dropped out)
Imperial College London (dropped out)
Awards
Bharat Ratna (1991)
Monuments
Vir Bhumi
Early life and career
Gandhi’s parents, Indira and Feroze, welcomed him into the world on August 20, 1944, in Bombay, Mumbai. When Rajiv and his younger brother Sanjay were accept into Shiv Niketan School in 1951, the instructors noted that Rajiv was quiet and reserved and that he “greatly enjoyed painting and drawing”. He was accepted into the preparatory Welham Boys’ School and thereafter transferred to The Doon School in Dehradun in 1954. Two years later, Sanjay joined him there. Mani Shankar Aiyar was Rajiv’s senior at Doon and one of the key figures in his inner circle thereafter. Another international boarding school in Switzerland, Ecole d’Humanité, was Rajiv’s place of education. His final subjects were passed, but he did well enough to graduate from the Doon School in 1961 with a second-class certificate.
On October 31, 1984, when Rajiv Gandhi was in West Bengal, his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. In retaliation for the military operation that had attacked the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star. Within hours of his mother’s murder, Rajiv was pressured by President Zail Singh and Sardar Buta Singh to take over as prime minister. “When a giant tree falls, the earth below shakes,” Rajiv Gandhi declared in response to the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. He received a lot of backlash for this comment. Numerous lawmakers in Congress were charged with planning the violence. The Lok Sabha had ended its five-year term when Gandhi took office. Therefore he asked President Singh to dissolve the legislature and call new elections.
Posthumous reports
A November 1991 report about black money kept in secret accounts by Imelda Marcos and fourteen other Third World country leaders appeared in Schweizer Illustrierte magazine. According to the paper, which cited McKinsey as a source, Rajiv Gandhi had 2.5 billion Swiss francs stashed away in covert Indian accounts in Switzerland. A number of opposition party leaders in India brought up the matter, referring to the article published in Schweizer Illustrierte. When Amal Datta brought up the matter in the Indian Parliament in December 1991, Shivraj Patil, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, removed Rajiv Gandhi’s name from the proceedings. Citing the paper, Subramanian Swamy wrote to the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation in December 2011 requesting that he take action on the Nehru-Gandhi family’s black money accounts.
Assassination
At his final public appearance, on May 21, 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while campaigning for the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha Congress candidate in Sriperumbudur. A village about 40 km (25 mi) from Madras (modern-day Chennai). On October 10, 10:10, Gandhi was greeted in public by a woman who was eventually identified as Thenmozhi Rajaratnam, a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. And with that, she knelt to touch his feet and set off a belt concealed beneath her dress that contained 700 g (1.5 lb) of RDX explosives. Rajiv Gandhi was cremated in Veer Bhumi in Delhi. Rajaratnam, Gandhi, and at least 14 other persons were murdered in the blast. Photographer. Age 21 from the area, found his camera and film at the scene; he took pictures of the assassination.
Institutions named after Gandhi
More than 450 government programmes and initiatives bear the Gandhi-Nehru family’s name, according to a Right to Information (RTI) request made in August 2009. According to a May 2012 Zed News story, there are sixteen government programmes named after Gandhi, including the Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana and the Rajiv Awas Yojana. There were 232 rural stadiums in India at the time, with 226 of them bearing his name, according to Haryana Sports Minister Anil Vij’s statement in March 2015. He said that all the stadiums in the state of Haryana bearing his name were slated to be renamed by the government. Congressman Kuldeep Sharma lashed out at Vij, calling it a “insult to their national leaders”.
Former PM Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi took over the leadership of the Congress party in 1984 following the assassination of his mother, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became India’s youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40 in October 1984 and held office until December 2, 1989. Born on August 20, 1944, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) while attending an election rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on May 21, 1991.
Rahul Gandhi’s contest in Lok Sabha election
Rahul Gandhi is running for the 2025 general election from two parliamentary constituencies: Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad in Kerala. Raebareli, previously represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi, had its election on Monday. Apart from Raebareli, Gandhi is also a candidate in the Wayanad constituency in Kerala. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he secured a significant victory in Wayanad with a lead of more than 4.31 lakh votes, the largest margin in Kerala that year. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to speak at election rallies in Haryana, marking his first campaign event in the state, which is set to vote on May 25. Haryana has 10 seats in the Lok Sabha. According to the Congress’ Haryana division, Gandhi’s rally will be held in the Charkhi Dadri area of the Bhiwani-Mahendergarh constituency, with another public gathering planned in Sonipat.
The Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with the counting set for June 4. Data from the Election Commission indicates that the overall voter turnout was approximately 60.9% during the fifth phase, which included 49 parliamentary constituencies.
Bio
Full Name
Rajiv Ratna Gandhi
Profession
Indian Politician
Political Party
Indian National Congress
Political Journey
• Upon the command of his mother Indira Gandhi, he reluctantly stepped into politics in 1980 after his brother Sanjay’s death.
• Following year, he contested from his late brother’s constituency, Amethi, and tasted the victory.
• To advance his political knowledge, he was made the general secretary of INC in 1982. He was also given the responsibility to organise 1982 Asian Games.
• After the assassination of his mother, he was named the Prime Minister of India.
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)
in centimeters- 178 cm
in meters- 1.78 m
in Feet Inches- 5’ 10”
Weight (approx.)
in Kilograms- 72 kg
in Pounds- 159 lbs
Eye Colour
Black
Hair Colour
Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth
20 August 1944
Place of Birth
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Date of Death
21 May 1991
Place of Death
Sriperumbudur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Cause of Birth
Assassination
Age (as on 21 May 1991)
46 Years
Birthplace
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Zodiac sign
Leo
Nationality
Indian
Hometown
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
School
Shiv Niketan school
Welham Boys’ School, Dehradun
The Doon School, Dehradun
College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Imperial College, London
Delhi Flying Club, New Delhi
Educational Qualifications
Trained Pilot
Debut
He joined the Indian National Congress in 1980, after his brother’s death and, became an MP from Amethi the very next year.
Family
Father– Late Feroze Gandhi (Former Indian Politician) Mother– Late Indira Gandhi (Former Indian Politician) Brother– Late Sanjay Gandhi (Former Indian Politician & trained Pilot) Sister– N/A
Religion
Hinduism
Caste
Brahmin
Hobbies
Cycling
Blood Group
O-negative
Major Controversies
• Rajiv Gandhi and his team took a controversial decision to a sensitive issue after passing an act in the parliament titled The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986 which nullified the Supreme Court’s judgement in the Shah Bano case. A lady named Shah Bano, 62, filed a petition in a local court of Indore after her husband gave her an irrevocable divorce and refused to give any compensation to the lady and her 5 kids. Initially, a local court asked her husband to pay her INR 25 every month, which was later revised by the Madhya Pradesh High Court to INR 179.20/ month. Mohd. Ahmed Khan, the lady’s husband, challenged the High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court, but the apex court denied his request and confirmed the judgement of High Court. Now came the central government in action and passed the act which stated that maintenance to a divorced woman by her husband will only be given during the period of iddat, or till 90 days after the divorce.
• In 1989, the then union finance minister V.P. Singh uncovered a political corruption what became to be known as Bofors Scandal, which involved millions of US dollars and alleged payoffs by the Swedish arms company Bofors through Italian businessman and Gandhi family associate Ottavio Quattrocchi.
• Schweizer Illustrierte magazine published an article on black money in 1991. The article cited McKinsey & Company as a source and stated Rajiv held 2.5 billion Swiss francs in secret Indian accounts in Switzerland.
• In 1992, the Indian newspapers Times of India and The Hindu published reports alleging that Rajiv Gandhi had received funds from the KGB, a Russian Committee for State Security. The disclosure was later confirmed by the Russian Government and was defended as necessary for Soviet ideological interest.