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Rajiv Gandhi
(Born on 20th August 1944-21st
June 1991),
Known by the nick name
‘Mr. Clean’ the late Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was born in Bombay and educated at Cambridge
University and Imperial College, London. His grandfather was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first
prime minister of the independent state of India, and his mother was Indira Gandhi, also
prime minister. Rajiv Gandhi initially had no interest in politics and became a commercial
airline pilot. When his younger brother Sanjay, heir apparent to the family political
dynasty, died in a plane crash, Rajiv sought his seat in parliament and won by a landslide
(1980). He soon became his mother's chief adviser and an important political force
himself. Appointed by Mrs. Indira Gandhi as a general secretary of the ruling Congress-I
party (1983), he moved to reorganize it.
His fight against
corruption earned him the nickname “Mr. Clean”. By 1984 he was the most powerful
political figure in India after his mother. When she was assassinated later that year, he
was unanimously elected by party leaders to replace her as prime minister. After a ritual
mourning period he was unanimously elected president of the Congress-I party, as well.
After a triumph in the national elections he pledged to deal with population control,
educational and social reforms, and ethnic problems, but by 1989 little headway had been
made in solving these problems, and charges of corruption plagued his administration. He
was accused of isolating himself from the people, and many questioned his credibility. He
ran for re-election in 1989 and was defeated. Trying for a comeback in 1991, he was
assassinated by a bomb at a campaign rally in Tamil Nadu.
Links
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation
Rajiv Gandhi Wiki |
Read More
Khel Ratna
The words "Khel Ratna" literally translate to "Sports Gem" in
Hindi.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (RGKR) is India’s highest honour
given for achievement in sports. The award is named after the
late Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. It carries a
medal, a scroll of honour and a substantial cash component. As
of 2004-05, when the award was last bestowed, the cash component
stands at Rs. 500,000/- (c.11,500 USD)
The award was instituted in the year 1991-92 to supply the lack
of a supreme national accolade in the field of sports. Predating
the RGKR are the Arjuna awards that have always been given to
outstanding sportspersons in each of many sporting disciplines
every year.
The
Khel Ratna was devised to be an overarching honour, conferred
for outstanding sporting performance, whether by an individual
or a team, across all sporting disciplines in a given year.
Some achievers of the Award
Vishvanath Anand - Chess
Geet Sethi - Billiards
Abhinav Bindra - shooting
Anju Bobby George - Athletics
Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Cricket
For more information
Click Wiki For Khel Ratna Awards
Books on Rajiv Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi: Selected speeches and writings
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