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Rajiv Gandhi

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World Leader

The Resume

Why he might be annoying:

    He left Cambridge without getting a degree.
    He originally had no interest in politics, but gave in to pressure from his mother.
    His comment on the anti-Sikh riots that broke out after Indira’s assassination (‘When a mighty tree falls, it is only natural that the earth around it shakes a little.’) was widely criticized as condoning the violence.
    He would occasionally abandon his motorcade and drive off at high speeds, sometimes causing accidents when the other vehicles tried to catch up.
    He lost re-election following revelations that the Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors had bribed members of his government to win defense contracts (1989).

Why he might not be annoying:

    Initially, his younger brother Sanjay followed a career in politics while he became a pilot for Air India.
    He entered politics only after Sanjay died in a plane crash (1980).
    He increased government support for science and technology.
    He complained about government bureaucracy, ‘In this place, nobody feels responsible for anything.’
    His quick reflexes saved him from serious injury when a Sri Lankan guard swung his rifle at him; he ducked out of the way, with the rifle hitting him in the shoulder instead of the head (July 30, 1987).
    He was killed at a campaign rally by a suicide bomber from the Tamil Tigers.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 145 Votes: 59.31% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 13 Votes: 61.54% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying