December 14 is the birth anniversary of Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of Indira and Feroze Gandhi. The late Indian National Congress veteran was a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Considered as heir apparent to then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Sanjay died at an early age in a plane crash and his brother Rajiv succeeded her mother as the premier after her assassination.

Sanjay is considered as one of the most controversial politicians stemming out of the INC clan. His wife Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi are leading politicians associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On his birthday, here are few facts about the controversial man.

Unknown Facts About Sanjay Gandhi:

  1. He studied at Welham Boys' School and later at the Doon School in Dehradun

  2. Not much interested in studies, Sanjay Gandhi never went to college.

  3. After completing his high school, he went for automotive engineering and apprenticed in England with Rolls-Royce

  4. Being interested in sports car, Sanjay founded Maruti Udyog, but the company did not manufacture any vehicles during his lifetime

  5. According to Wikileaks, three assassination attempts were made on Sanjay Gandhi

  6. It is said that Sanjay Gandhi controlled the government during the 1975 Emergency

  7. In May 1980, Sanjay was appointed as Congress Party's Secretary-General

  8. On June 23, 1980, Sanjay Gandhi was killed in a plane crash at the young age of 33.

Sanjay Gandhi remained a polarising figure in Indian politics during his brief tenure. While several believed him as a hardline reformer, others feared him as authoritarian due to his sterilisation campaign during the emergency.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 14, 2020 07:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).