Political Science

Kings after IndependenceNehru Gandhi family: First political dynasty of India

Submitted To: Professor Raka Arya Submitted by: Pranjal Singh 2012B.A.L.L.B.-83

Table of Contents

1. Abstract2. Introduction3. The Family Tree4. A few hidden facts.5. Bibliography

AbstractIndia cant be called a monarchy, can it?But with Rahul Gandhis ascendance to the top of the Congress hierarchy and his mother, our own Isabella of France, sitting pretty as the queen regent, we must ask ourselves, who are these Gandhis, and where does their reign start?As I am interested in the political soap-opera that goes on in India, it seems a valid reason for me to have a full knowledge of those who have been tasked with our governance. As I lean towards the centre in my political ideologies, its my observation that the Gandhi familys hegemony at the top has stifled many bright leaders in the Congress and has weakened and infected the party internally. The irony is, Congress is still the only viable and competent party in India, as compared to the options on the right and left fronts.In this project I will first recount the history of the Gandhi family, and then I will furnish details about the pros and cons of the familys rule

IntroductionThe Nehru family is a prominent Indian political dynasty. Their political involvement has traditionally revolved around the Indian National Congress. Members of the family have traditionally led the Congress party and the Republic of India since independence.The Guardian wrote in 2007 "The [Nehru] Gandhi brand has no peer in the world - a member of the Gandhi family has been in charge of India for 40 of the 60 years since independence. The allure of India's first family blends the right to rule of British monarchy with the tragic glamour of America's Kennedy clan."Note that Mohandas K. Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi or Gandhiji) was not related to this family (although he was friends with Jawaharlal Nehru). The 'Gandhi' surname comes from Feroze Gandhi, whom Indira Priyadarshini (the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru) married, and later chose to change her name to Indira Gandhi after marriage. Feroze Gandhi was born "Feroze Gandhy" into a Parsi family and was educated at the City Anglo-Vernacular High School and Ewing Christian College, followed by the London School of Economics.

Family tree of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty:First generation Motilal Nehru (18611931) was a lawyer, a prominent leader of the Indian independence movement and an important leader of the Indian National Congress, who also served as the Congress President twice, 19191920 and 19281929. He was the founder patriarch of India's most powerful political family, the NehruGandhi family.

Swaruprani Nehru (18681938) was the wife of Motilal Nehru. She became active in the Indian independence movement when her husband and son were jailed by the British.

Jawaharlal Nehru (18891964) was the only son of Motilal Nehru. He was the first Prime Minister of India. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement and had succeeded his father as President of the Congress in 1929.

Akulaa Lakshmi Pandit (19001990) was the eldest daughter of Motilal Nehru. She was an Indian diplomat and politician. She was prominent in Congress itics. She became a diplomat, serving as ambassador to the USSR, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and later as President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Krishna Hutheesing (19071967) was the youngest daughter of Motilal Nehru. She was a famous Indian writer and biographer.

Nandlal Nehru (18451887) was an older brother of Motilal Nehru. He was the Diwan (Prime Minister) of the princely state of Khetri in Rajputana.

Brijlal Nehru (born 1884) was the son of Nandlal Nehru and a nephew of Motilal Nehru. He was the Finance Minister of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir during the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh.Second generation Jawaharlal Nehru (18891964) was the first Prime Minister of India. He was one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement and had succeeded his father as President of the Congress in 1929.

Kamala Nehru (18991936) was the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru. She was a prominent social reformer and was involved in the national polics of India during her lifetime. She was an active member of the All India Congress Committee.

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi nee Nehru (19171984) was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru. She was the third Prime Minister of India and was also the President of the Congress.

Feroze Gandhi (19121960) was a prominent Indian politician and journalist, son in law of Jawaharlal Nehru and husband of Indira Gandhi. Note that Feroze Gandhi is not related to Mahatma Gandhi.

Brijlal Nehru (born 1884) was a cousin of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was the Finance Minister of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir during the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh.

Rameshwari Nehru (18861966) was the wife of Brij Lal Nehru.

Braj Kumar Nehru (19092001) was the son of Brij Lal Nehru and a nephew of Jawaharlal Nehru. He was notable as the Indian diplomat and ambassador to the United States and as High Commissioner to United Kingdom. He later served as Governor of several Indian states and was a top advisor of his cousin Indira Nehru-gandhiThird generation Indira Gandhi (19171984) was the third Prime Minister of India. She was also the President of the Congress.

Feroze Gandhi (19121960) was a prominent Indian politician and journalist, son in law of Jawaharlal Nehru and husband of Indira Gandhi. Feroz Gandhi is not related to Mahatma Gandhi.

Braj Kumar Nehru (19092001) was a cousin of Indira Nehru-Gandhi. He was notable as the Indian diplomat and ambassador to the United States and as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He later served as Governor of several Indian states and was a top advisor of his cousin Indira Nehru-Gandhi.

Magdolna Nehru (1908) is the widow of Braj Kumar Nehru.Fourth generation Rajiv Gandhi (19441991) was the eldest son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi (1946) is the widow of Rajiv Gandhi. She was Italian. She took Indian citizenship after marriage with Rajiv Gandhi. She is the President of the Indian National Congress and has served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha since 2004. In September 2010, on being re-elected for the fourth time, she became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party. Led Congress Party to victory in two successive elections, yet chose not to become Prime Minister of India

Rahul Gandhi (1970) is the only son of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. He is the vice president and also General-Secretary of the Congress. He is the Chairman of the Congress coordination panel for 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Priyanka Vadra (1972) is the only daughter of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi. She holds no active position in the Congress party but has featured prominently in campaigns.

Sanjay Gandhi (19461980) was one of the most powerful politicians in India during the 1970s. During his lifetime he was widely expected to succeed his mother as Prime Minister of India and President of the Congress, but following his early death in a plane crash his older brother Rajiv became their mother's heir, and succeeded her as Prime Minister after her death.

Maneka Gandhi (1956) is the widow of Sanjay Gandhi. She is a prominent politician in India but is estranged from the rest of her family. She is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Varun Gandhi (1980) is the only son of Sanjay Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party National Executive and the youngest National Secretary in the history of the party.Fifth generation Rahul Gandhi (1970) is the only son of Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. He is the Vice-President of the Congress.[2] He is the Chairman of the Congress coordination panel for 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Varun Gandhi (1980) is the son of Sanjay Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party National Executive and the youngest National Secretary in the history of the party.

Some hidden facts about the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty

Jawahar Lal's father was believed to be Moti Lal and Moti Lal's father was one Gangadhar Nehru. And we all know that Jawahar Lal's only daughter was Indira Priyadarshini Nehru; Kamala Nehru was her mother, who died in Switzerland of tuberculosis. She was totally against Indira's proposed marriage with Feroze. Why? No one tells us that! Now, who is this Feroze? We are told by many that he was the son of the family grocer. The grocer supplied wines, etc. to Anand Bhavan, previously known as Ishrat Manzil, which once belonged to a Muslim lawyer named Mobarak Ali. Moti Lal was earlier an employee of Mobarak Ali. What was the family grocer's name? One frequently hears that Rajiv Gandhi's grandfather was Pandit Nehru. But then we all know that everyone has two grandfathers, the paternal and the maternal grandfathers. In fact, the paternal grandfather is deemed to be the more important grandfather in most societies. Why is it then nowhere do we find Rajiv Gandhi's paternal grandfather's name? It appears that the reason is simply this. Rajiv Gandhi's paternal grandfather was a Muslim gentleman from the Junagadh area of Gujarat . This Muslim grocer by the name of Nawab Khan had married a Parsi woman after converting her to Islam. This is the source where from the myth of Rajiv being a Parsi was derived. Rajiv's father Feroze was Feroze Khan before he married Indira, against Kamala Nehru's wishes.

Feroze's mother's family name was Ghandy, often associated with Parsis and this was changed to Gandhi, sometime before his wedding with Indira, by an affidavit. The fact of the matter is that (and this fact can be found in many writings) Indira was very lonely. Chased out of the Shantiniketan University by Guru Dev Rabindranath himself for misdeveanor, the lonely girl was all by herself, while father Jawahar was busy with politics, pretty women and illicit sex; the mother was in hospital. Feroze Khan, the grocer's son was then in England and he was quite sympathetic to Indira and soon enough she changed her religion, became a Muslim woman and married Feroze Khan in a London mosque. Nehru was not happy; Kamala was dead already or dying. The news of this marriage eventually reached Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi urgently called Nehru and practically ordered him to ask the young man to change his name from Khan to Gandhi. It had nothing to do with change of religion, from Islam to Hinduism for instance !. It was just a case of a change of name by an affidavit. And so Feroze Khan became Feroze Gandhi.

The surprising thing is that the apostle of truth, the old man soon to be declared India 's Mahatma and the 'Father of the Nation' didn't mention this game of his in the famous book, 'My Experiments with Truth'. Why? When they returned to India , a mock 'Vedic marriage' was instituted for public consumption. On this subject, writes M. O. Mathai (a longtime private secretary of Nehru) in his renowned (but now suppressed by the GOI) 'Reminiscences of the Nehru Age' on page 94, second paragraph:

"For some inexplicable reason, Nehru allowed the marriage to be performed according to Vedic rites in 1942. An inter-religious and inter-caste marriage under Vedic rites at that time was not valid in law. To be legal, it had to be a civil marriage. It's a known fact that after Rajiv's birth Indira and Feroze lived separately, but they were not divorced. Feroze used to harass Nehru frequently for money and also interfere in Nehru's political activities. Nehru got fed up and left instructions not to allow him into the Prime Minister's residence Trimurthi Bhavan. Mathai writes that the death of Feroze came as a relief to Nehru and Indira.

The death of Feroze in 1960 before he could consolidate his own political forces, is itself a mystery. Feroze had even planned to remarry. Those who try to keep tabs on our leaders in spite of all the suppressions and deliberate misinformation, are aware of the fact that the second son of Indira (Mrs. Feroze Khan) known as Sanjay Gandhi was not the son of Feroze. He was the son of another Moslem gentleman, Mohammad Yunus. Here, in passing, we might mention that the second son was originally named Sanjiv. It rhymed with Rajiv, the elder brother's name. It was changed to Sanjay when he was arrested by the British police in England and his passport impounded, for having stolen a car. Krishna Menon was then Indias High Commissioner in London . He offered to issue another passport to the felon who changed his name to Sanjay. Incidentally, Sanjay's marriage with the Sikh girl Menaka (for Indira Gandhi found the name of Lord Indra's court dancer rather offensive!) took place quite surprisingly in Mohammad Yunus' house in New Delhi. And the marriage with Menaka who was a model (she had modelled for Bombay Dyeing wearing just a towel) was not so ordinary either. Sanjay was notorious in getting unwed young women pregnant. Maneka too was rendered pregnant by Sanjay. It was then that her father, Colonel Anand, threatened Sanjay with dire consequences if he did not marry her daughter. And that did the trick. Sanjay married Maneka.It was widely reported in Delhi at the time that Mohammad Yunus was unhappy at the marriage of Sanjay with Menaka; apparently he had wanted to get him married with a Muslim girl of his choice. It was Mohammad Yunus who cried the most when Sanjay died in the plane accident. In Yunus' book,'Persons, Passions & Politics' one discovers that baby Sanjay had been circumcised following Islamic custom, although the reason stated was phimosis. It was always believed that Sanjay used to blackmail Indira Gandhi and due to this she used to turn a blind eye when Sanjay Gandhi started to runthe country as though it were his personal fiefdom. Was he black mailing her with the secret of who his real father was? When the news of Sanjay's death reached Indira Gandhi, the first thing she wanted to know was about the bunch of keys which Sanjay had with him. Nehru was no less a player in producing bastards. At least one case is very graphically described by M. O. Mathai in his "Reminiscences of the Nehru Age", page 206. Mathai writes: "In the autumn of 1948 ( India became free in 1947 and a great deal of work needed to be done) a young woman from Benares arrived in New Delhi as a sanyasin named Shraddha Mata (an assumed and not a real name). She was a Sanskrit scholar well versed in the ancient Indian scriptures and mythology. People, including MPs, thronged to her to hear her discourses. One day S. D. Upadhyaya, Nehru's old employee, brought a letter in Hindi from Shraddha Mata. Nehru gave her an interview in the PM's house. As she departed, Mathai noticed that she was young, shapely and beautiful. Meetings with her became rather frequent, mostly after Nehru finished his work at night. During one of Nehru's visits to Lucknow, Shraddha Mata turned up there, and Upadhyaya brought a letter from her as usual. Nehru sent her the reply; and she visited Nehru at midnight ... "Suddenly Shraddha Mata disappeared. In November 1949 a convent in Bangalore sent a decent looking person to Delhi with a bundle of letters. He said that a young woman from northern India arrived at theconvent a few months ago and gave birth to a baby boy. She refused todivulge her name or give any particulars about herself. She left the convent as soon as she was well enough to move out but left the child behind. She however forgot to take with her a small cloth bundle in which, among other things, several letters in Hindi were found. The Mother Superior, who was a foreigner, had the letters examined and was told they were from the Prime Minister. The person who brought the letters surrendered them... Mathai made discreet inquiries repeatedly about the boy but failed to get a clue about his whereabouts. Convents in such matters are extremely tightlipped and secretive. Had I succeeded in locating the boy, I would have adopted him. He must have grown up as a Catholic Christian blissfully ignorant of who his father was." Coming back to Rajiv Gandhi, we all know now that he changed his so called Parsi religion to become a Catholic to marry Sania Maino of Turin , Italy . Rajiv became Roberto. His daughter's name is Bianca and son's name is Raul. Quite cleverly the same names are presented to the people of India as Priyanka and Rahul.! What is amazing is the extent of our people's ignorance in such matters. The press conference that Rajiv Gandhi gave in London after taking over as prime minister of India was very informative. In this press conference, Rajiv boasted that he was NOT a Hindu but a Parsi. Mind you, speaking of the Parsi religion, he had no Parsi ancestor at all. His grandmother (father's mother) had turned Muslim after having abandoned the Parsi religion to marry Nawab Khan. It is the western press that waged a blitz of misinformation on behalf of Rajiv. From the New York Times to the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, the big guns raised Rajiv to heaven. The children's encyclopedias recorded that Rajiv was a qualified Mechanical Engineer from the revered University of Cambridge. No doubt US kids are among the most misinformed in the world today! The reality is that in all three years of his tenure at that University Rajiv had not passed a single examination. He had therefore to leave Cambridge without a certificate. Sonia too had the same benevolent treatment. She was stated to be a student in Cambridge. Such a description is calculated to mislead Indians. She was a student in Cambridge all right but not of the University of Cambridge but of one of those fly by night language schools where foreign students come to learn English. Sonia was working as an 'au pair' girl in Cambridge and trying to learn English at the same time. And surprise of surprises, Rajiv was even cremated as per Vedic rites in full view of Indias public..

Bibliography

1. articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com2. www.vepachedu.org3. www.eastasiaforum.org/4. www.indiaagainstcorruption.info

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