The Tempestuous Nehru Dynasty of India

The Unexpected Leader
After his brother's death, Rajiv, who had sought a career as a commercial airline pilot, was thrust into the political limelight because of his mother's need for someone to carry on the dynastic legacy. In 1984, however, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards, dying in the arms of Rajiv's Italian-born wife Sonia (pictured campaigning with her husband). Rajiv would then succeed his mother as Prime Minister, governing till 1989. He was killed in a 1991 by a suicide bomber while campaigning to regain the office.

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