Rajiv Gandhi Birth Anniversary 2024: How did a pilot become India's youngest PM

Rajiv Gandhi became Indiarsquos youngest Prime Minister PM at the age of 40 in 1984 after the assassination of his mother and the sitting head of the government Indira Gandhi He continues to be one of the youngest heads of the government in the worldDespite his mother and brother Sanjayrsquos active role in politics Gandhi did not step into politics until his siblings death He lived away from the shadow of politics as a family man with his wife Sonia and two children Rahul and Priyanka and was a professional pilot with Indian AirlinesGandhi was introduced to politics as a threeyearold because his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was Indiarsquos first PM He was born in Mumbai and after his birth his parents moved to New Delhi Gandhirsquos father Feroze was a Member of Parliament He studied at Doon School in the hills of Dehradun and was joined at the institute by younger brother SanjayGandhi pursued his higher education from Londonrsquos Imperial College in mechanical engineeringAccording to an article published on the Government of India website Gandhirsquos classmates had stated that he had little interest in philosophy politics or history while studying and mostly stuck to his subjects of science and engineering However he did have an interest in classical and modern music as well as photographyBut his greatest passion was flying and he took his ambitions seriously Gandhi cleared the entrance exam to the Delhi Flying Club and went to the get a commercial pilotrsquos licence and joined Indian AirlinesFollowing his marriage to Sonia and the birth of his two kids the family continued living with Indira but despite the political activities bustling in their house the couple led a very private lifeSanjay on the other hand was considered to be their motherrsquos political successor However the year 1980 changed the course of destiny for Gandhi as his younger brother who was only 33 at the time died in an air crash Gandhi then felt some compulsions to help his mother in her political career He was reluctant at first as was Sonia to enter into politics But Gandhi soon contested for the byelection for the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh which was vacant following his brotherrsquos deathAfter that there was no looking back In 1982 India hosted the Asian Games for the first time and Gandhi played a huge role in ensuring that the sporting event was a success He also began expanding the party cadre especially with a younger generation of leadersHowever on October 31 1984 Gandhi suffered shock when his mother was assassinated In his memoir lsquoThe Turbulent Years 198096rsquo former President Pranab Mukherjee who served in Gandhirsquos cabinet revealed that within few hours the Congress cadre had made up their mind to make Indirarsquos only surviving son their next leader and the head of the government According to Mukherjee Gandhi had asked him ldquoDo you think I can managerdquo to which the former President said that the cadre was there to support him and that he should move ahead with the responsibility of heading the worldrsquos largest democracy According to Mukherjee the decision was made even before they reached Delhi from West Bengal where Gandhi was campaigning for an upcoming electionHe was administered the oath on the same day his mother died and Congress won the next election as a nation grieving for its dead former PM gave her son the biggest mandate ever seen in an Indian electionHowever in the 1989 election Gandhi was defeatedOn May 21 1991 while campaigning in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming election Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE terrorists He died young at the age of 46 and left a legacy behind him Though Gandhi faced a lot of criticism over his handling of the Sikh genocide the LTTESri Lanka crisis and Indiarsquos economic situation he is also credited for bringing technological reforms in the country