Sanjay Gandhi, an Indian politician, was born on 14th December 1946. Sanjay Gandhi is rather renowned as the younger son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and politician Feroze Gandhi. He was elected to the Parliament of India five months before he died in a plane crash. Sanjay Gandhi had his early education at the Welham Boys` School, where he studied up to class 6. Afterwards, along with his elder brother Rajiv Gandhi he went to study Grade 7 to 12 at The Doon School in Dehra Dun. He moved to England for further studies. However, he had never attended college. He had worked as an apprentice with Rolls-Royce Limited, a British car and aero-engine manufacturing company. His love for sports cars led him to obtain a pilot`s license.

In 1971, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi`s Cabinet projected the production of a cheap, low-priced and effective indigenous machine, the "people`s car" that the middle-class citizens could afford, Sanjay Gandhi was awarded the contract and the exclusive production license. Today, India`s premier automobile manufacturing corporation, Maruti Udyog was established by Sanjay Gandhi. But during his lifetime the company did not produce any vehicles. In 1974, during the time of emergency, government and the economy was experiencing opposition-led protests and strikes. Disturbance had spread in many parts of the country. National emergency was decleared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In the name of national security, the emergency period enforced martial law, delayed elections, censored the press and debarred some constitutional freedoms.

Throughout the country Non-Congress governments were dismissed. Many people including several freedom fighters like Jaya Prakash Narayan and Jivatram Kripalani were arrested as they had shown their dissent against the Emergency. During that time Sanjay Gandhi rose in importance as Indira`s advisor. Sanjay`s hold on Indira and the government elevated strikingly, though he was never in an functionary or elected position. Sanjay Gandhi experienced numerous oppositions during his time. In 1976, Sanjay plunged a drive to clean the city of slums. This attempt of his was seen as as a force play on the residents to leave the capital. He attempted to clean up the heavily populated, mostly Muslim slums near the Turkman Gate and Jama Masjid in Delhi. It was estimated that due to this forced resettlement of more than 250,000 people, more than a dozen dwellers were killed (as recorded). Thus this incident became a criterion for the opposition.

Sanjay Gandhi also publicly pioneered a widely circulated family planning programme to limit population growth. But this ensued in government officials and police officers forcibly executing vasectomies in order to meet quotas and in some cases, sterilising women too. It was decided officially that men with two children or more had to accede to sterilisation.

In 1977 National emergency was withdrawn and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi announced for fresh elections. But the Congress party again was defeated by the Janata Party coalition. The defeat was considered as a massive landslide. As a result, Janata party came into power and Home Minister Charan Singh dictated the arrest of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi; but, due to lack of evidence they were released. A tribunal was also appointed to look into Emergency abuses. But it collapsed after the release of Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. As Prime Minister Morarji Desai resigned, his immediate successor Choudhary Charan Singh went to Indira Gandhi for her support. But few months later a re-election was forced upon and the tenure of Janata Party came to an end.

In 1980, Mrs. Gandhi and Congress (I) Party again regained power and Sanjay Gandhi was nominated to a parliamentary seat from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. Sanjay had married a young Punjabi woman, Maneka Gandhi. The couple had a son, Varun Gandhi. Sanjay Gandhi died in an air crash on June 23, 1980 near Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi.