Bayan kashe Indira Gandhi, jam'iyyar Congress ta zabi babban danta Rajiv Gandhi a matsayin Firayim Minista na Indiya.Duk da kasancewarsa sabon shiga siyasa, kasancewar an zabe shi a majalisar dokoki a 1982, matasan Rajiv Gandhi da rashin gogewar siyasa sun kasance suna kallon gaskiya ta hanyar jama'a da suka gaji da rashin aiki da cin hanci da rashawa da ake dangantawa da gogaggun 'yan siyasa.Ana ganin sabon hangen nesansa a matsayin yuwuwar mafita ga kalubalen da Indiya ta dade tana fuskanta.A zabubbukan ‘yan majalisar dokokin da suka biyo baya, tare da nuna juyayi da kisan mahaifiyarsa, Rajiv Gandhi ya jagoranci jam’iyyar Congress zuwa ga nasara mai cike da tarihi, inda ya samu sama da kujeru 415 daga cikin 545.Rajiv Gandhi a matsayin Firayim Minista ya sami gagarumin gyare-gyare.Ya sassauta lasisin Raj, tsarin hadadden tsarin lasisi, ka'idoji, da jajayen aikin da ake buƙata don kafawa da gudanar da kasuwanci a Indiya.Wadannan gyare-gyaren sun rage takunkumin gwamnati kan kudaden kasashen waje, tafiye-tafiye, zuba jari na kasashen waje, da shigo da kaya, don haka ba da damar samun 'yanci ga kamfanoni masu zaman kansu da kuma jawo hankalin masu zuba jarurruka na waje, wanda, bi da bi, ya karfafa asusun ajiyar Indiya.A karkashin jagorancinsa, dangantakar Indiya da Amurka ta inganta, wanda ya haifar da karuwar taimakon tattalin arziki da haɗin gwiwar kimiyya.Rajiv Gandhi ya kasance mai goyon bayan kimiyya da fasaha, wanda ya haifar da ci gaba sosai a masana'antar sadarwar Indiya da shirin sararin samaniya, kuma ya kafa harsashin bunkasa masana'antar software da bangaren fasahar bayanai.A shekara ta 1987, gwamnatin Rajiv Gandhi ta kulla yarjejeniya da Sri Lanka don tura sojojin Indiya a matsayin dakarun wanzar da zaman lafiya a rikicin kabilanci da ya shafi LTTE.Sai dai kuma rundunar kiyaye zaman lafiya ta Indiya (IPKF) ta shiga wani kazamin artabu, inda daga karshe suka gwabza da ’yan tawayen Tamil da suke so su kwance damara, lamarin da ya yi sanadin jikkatar sojojin Indiya da dama.Firayim Minista VP Singh ya janye IPKF a cikin 1990, amma ba kafin dubban sojojin Indiya suka rasa rayukansu ba.Duk da haka, Rajiv Gandhi ya yi suna a matsayin dan siyasa mai gaskiya, wanda ya sa aka yi masa lakabi da "Mr. Clean" daga 'yan jarida, ya fuskanci mummunan rauni saboda abin kunya na Bofors.Wannan badakalar ta shafi zargin karbar cin hanci da rashawa da cin hanci da rashawa a kwangilar tsaro da wani kamfanin kera makamai na kasar Sweden, wanda hakan ke bata masa suna da kuma tada tambayoyi kan amincin gwamnati a karkashin gwamnatinsa.