Indian Politicians and Social Activists have had their share of secret relationships. Most affairs between them are rarely talked off in the media yet the rumors exist. Here are few of the unspoken love affairs of Indian Politicians and Social Activists.
Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten
A subject of numerous books and films, the love affair between Jawaharlal Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten was often discussed in the political circles. It was often said that Edwina and Lord Mountbatten did not have a great marriage and Edwina had countless affairs before meeting Nehru.
Jawaharlal Nehru, on the other hand, was quite the charmer among the ladies. Their relationship, often described by Edwina as ‘platonic’, had come in for much scrutiny in those times. It has often been discussed that Lord Mountbatten found the relationship so deep that for the larger part, he simply ignored the affair. The affair ended with Lady Mountbatten’s death in 1960, and the most public declaration of love by Pandit Nehru. He sent his own Indian Navy frigate to cast a wreath into the waters on her behalf. This was one of the love affairs which was never covered by the media of India in the way media covers the love life of today’s celebrities.
Mahatma Gandhi and Sarla Devi
Sarla Devi was the neice of Rabrindranath Tagore. When Sarla Devi’s husband, Chaudhary Ram Bhuj Dutt was in the jail, Gandhi was staying in his house with Sarla Devi as the host. In his letters to Ram Bhuj Dutt, Gandhi mentioned, “Saraladevi’s company is very endearing. She looks after me very well.”
Gandhi stood to lose everything, at 50, he had fallen passionately in love with Sarla Devi. He considered their relationship a spiritual marriage. In his other letters to her, he wrote passionately, “You will continue to haunt me in my sleep.” The relationship has been expressed in numerous letters, like the one dated Aug 23,1920: “You are mine in the purest sense. You ask for a reward of your great surrender, well, it is its own reward.”
Indira Gandhi and Mohammed Yunus
Indira Gandhi has always been one of the most controversial figures in Indian politics. Her marriage with Feroze Gandhi was mired with controversy and after the birth of Rajeev Gandhi, Feroze and Indira separated. It has, thus, been speculated that Sanjay Gandhi was Mohammed Yunus’ son.
Mohammed Yunus was Indira’s close aid and advisor for many years and they used to make many trips abroad together as he was her foreign aid. Mohammed Yunus’ mourning at Sanjay Gandhi’s death has been attributed to this relationship. It has often been reported that Sanjay Gandhi used to blackmail his mother because of his knowledge of his origin.
Mayawati and Kanshi Ram
Kanshi Ram was Mayawati’s mentor and the sole reason for her foray into politics. He spoke of the various social issues that plagued her community and convinced her the only way she could help was by becoming the Dalit leader. They have always denied any kind of relationship between them but there have been speculations of Mayawati having stayed with Kanshi Ram after her father threw her out of the home.
The relationship was often explained as that of a brother-sister relation. Mayawati, however, was very protective of Kanshi Ram and wouldn’t allow people to come very close to him. She often hounded people who got too close to him until they left the party.
Feroze Gandhi and Kamala Nehru
Kamala Nehru wife of Jawaharlal Nehru, with her serene beauty was the object of many admiration’s like that of Feroze Gandhi ( husband of Indira Gandhi and son-in-law of Nehru family). There have been rumors of a long winding affair between the two that ended with her death. It is still unclear exactly what Kamala’s feelings were towards Feroze. Most letters point towards a spiritual relationship. However, these have been rejected by the Gandhi family as plain hearsay.a
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