The followers of Mahatma Gandhi, the most prominent figure of the Indian independence movement,[1] are called Gandhians.
Gandhi's legacy includes a wide range of ideas ranging from his dream of ideal India (or Rama Rajya), economics, environmentalism, women's rights, animal rights, spirituality, the truth, nonviolence, asceticism and others. Thus Gandhians hailing from wide range of work profile attribute their ideas to him.
An overwhelming number of Bharat Ratna awardees are such individuals. In a 2012 poll called The Greatest Indian, the jury decided to keep Gandhi out as it "is impossible for anyone to come close to the father of the nation when it comes to leadership, impact and contribution". The poll included as many as 10 individuals in top 20 who were either close aides, disciples, successors or Gandhian ideologues.[a]
Name
Notes
Jawaharlal Nehru
Gandhi designated him as his political heir.
Vallabhbhai Patel
Along with Nehru, Patel was the closest aide of Gandhi.
Vinoba Bhave
He is deemed as the spiritual heir of Gandhi
Nelson Mandela
First president of South Africa
François Bayrou
French politician who served as cabinet minister of various departments [3]
Martin Luther King Jr.
American civil rights movement activist
Ho Chi Minh
Founding father of Vietnam[4]
Maulana Azad
First education minister of India
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Former Prime Minister of India [5]
Narendra Modi
Current Prime Minister of India [6][7]
Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Also called "the Frontier Gandhi"
Sarojini Naidu
1st Governors of the United Provinces of Independent India
Tanguturi Prakasam
First Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
K. Chandrashekar Rao
Current Chief Minister of Telangana
C. Rajagopalachari
Last Governor-General of India
Maria Lacerda de Moura
Brazilian reformer
Eric Adams
Mayor of New York City
George Joseph
Indian independence activist
Habib Bourguiba
First Prime Minister of Tunisia
Kailash Satyarthi
Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Ashok Gehlot
Current Chief Minister of Rajasthan
Shankarrao Deo
Independence activist
Mehdi Bazargan
Leading figure of Iranian Revolution along with Ruhollah Khomeini and Morteza Motahhari
Mirabehn
Independence activist, described Gandhi as Jesus Christ
Govind Vallabh Pant
First Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Sushila Nayyar
Indian politician and independence activist
Jamnalal Bajaj
Indian industrialist
Sharad Pawar
Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra[8]
Draupadi Murmu
Current President of India
M.G. Ramachandran
Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu,and influential actor in tamil cinema.
K. Kamaraj
Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
^Geoffrey Parker (1995). The Times Illustrated History of the World. HarperCollins. p. 290. The hero of Indian independence from the British, and the greatest figure in decolonization, was Mahatma Gandhi
^CK, Faisal. "From Vajpayee's founding speech to Modi's deeds, the BJP has deviated from its stated ideals". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-11-20. Vajpayee unequivocally declared that Gandhian Socialism was the foundational ideology of the newly launched party.
^Politique (2018-09-21). "Bayrou au pays de Gandhi". Le Point. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
^"Ho Chi Minh: Remembering the King and the Saint". The Wire. Retrieved 2021-11-20.
^Official Visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the United States, September 13-14, 2000, p. 98
^26/May/2020 (26 May 2020). "Where Narendra Modi's Gandhian 'Tapasya' Falls Short". Thewire.in. Retrieved 1 January 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"Gandhian values are becoming increasingly relevant: PM Modi in Tamil Nadu". OneIndia. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
^"Gandhi's non-violence is the only way forward, says Sharad Pawar".
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