She had given the nod for Operation Blue Star but late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi later regretted the decision which eventually led to her assassination 25 years ago.

The country's only woman prime minister, who died on October 31, 1984, equally regretted her another controversial decision -- imposition of Emergency -- that had shaken the country, say her close aides.

"Gandhi regretted both the decisions on Operation Blue Star and Emergency. The shape that the two incidents took later was not exactly the same for what Gandhi had taken these decisions," said R K Dhawan, her personal secretary and close aide.

Dhawan said that the first six months of Emergency went "very good" but after then things went out of control and then she "off course regretted" the step.

"In 1973-74, the Opposition parties had created so much of ruckus...they had created all sorts of problems for Gandhi. Then it was thought of that some corrective measure had to be taken," he said.

According to Dhawan, the decision to impose Emergency was taken way back in January 1975 much before it was actually imposed on June 25, 1975 but it was delayed as it was not decided by then what should be the exact mode of action. The decision was later taken after consultation with legal experts, he said.

Gandhi fell victim to her own Sikh bodyguards -- Satwant Singh, Beant Singh and Kehar Singh -- who pumped 31 bullets into the 66-year-old charismatic leader.

While Beant was killed by security men, Kehar and Satwant were later hanged. M L Fotedar, another close aide of Gandhi, termed Emergency as a measure taken in compulsion saying, "her opponents created such a situation in the country that she had to impose Emergency".

... contd.