Rajiv Gandhi - Nicholas Nugent

Six years ago, Rajiv Gandhi found himself at the helm of a country of 800 m people. A former airline pilot, he had never been a cabinet minister and, indeed, had never aspired to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Jawarharlal Nehru, and his mother, Indira Gandhi.;The author charts Gandhi's susbsequent stewardship of the world's largest democracy. He tells how, two months after succeeding to office, Gandhi won the largest election victory of any Indian prime minsiter, but it was a victory that brought an exaggerated expectation of his premiership. He examines Gandhi's approach to traditional Indian problems such as underdevelopment and communalism, and looks at his performance in the crucial role of India's chief diplomat. And the author investigates, too, the massive expansion of India's military capability under Rajiv - and the continuing suspicion that he was involved in the Bofors arms scandal.;Rajiv Gandhi continues to be something of an enigma, a reluctant politician who had greatness thrust upon him. At the end of 1989 he fell from power, an end - even if only temporarily - to the great dynasty which has ruled India such independene in 1947. This book goes a long way towards an understanding of this surprisingly complex man and his struggle for political survival in an increasing volatile sub-continent.