Indira Assassination While Indira Gandhi 's dead body lay rotting in All India Medical Institute, a political wrangling began within the Congress party leaders. While some were in favor of promoting Pranab Mukherjee , the senior most Congress leader as the next Prime Minister of India, The other group comprising of Gandhi-Nehru family loyalists were suggesting the coronation of Rajiv Gandhi as the natural successor. This coterie included powerful ministers and administrators such as Arun Nehru , HKL Bhagat , Jagdish Tytler , Lalit Maken , Sajjan Kumar , and RK Dhawan , Their worry was that the decision lies in the hands of President Zail Singh who was out of the country on an official visit to North Yemen. They couldn't trust a Zail Singh, a Sikh to support the line of succession. So a conspiracy was hatched to put pressure on the President as soon as he reached the AIMS straight from the airport. Arun Nehru escorting Zail Singh at AIIMS Gandhi's cousi