(1964-1966)
"There comes a time in the life of every nation
when it stands at the cross-roads of history and must choose
which way to go. But for us there need be no difficulty or hesitation,
no looking to right or left. Our way is straight and clear—the
building up of a socialist democracy at home with freedom and
prosperity for all, and the maintenance of world peace and friendship
with all nations." (Lal bahadur Shastri)
Lal Bahadur Shastri, known as the common man's leader, is one
among those great Indians, who have given ineradicable impressions
and unique contributions to public life. He was the second Prime
Minister of Independent India. Though soft spoken, short in
height and physical appearance, he was a man of great courage
and will.
Shastri was born in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on October 2, 1904.
In 1926, he graduated with a first-class degree from the Kashi
Vidyapeeth from where acquired the title 'Shastri'.
Shastri joined and became active in the Indian independence
movement when he was only seventeen years old. Lal Bahadur Shastri
jailed several times during freedom struggle for his participation
in non-cooperation movement,Civil Disobedience Movement, Quit
India Movement, Salt satyagraha/ dandi march etc and was released
in 1945.
He had been praised by virtue of his administrative ability
and organization skill and appointed as parliamentary Secretary
during the ministry of Govind Vallabh Pant in Uttar Pradesh.
Shastri became the General Secretary of Indian National Congress
during the first general elections and became the Railway and
transport minister when Nehru sworn in as the first prime minister
of independent India.. He has also held the portfolios of Transport
& Communications, Commerce and Industry, and Home Ministry
in the Central cabinet.
After the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri
was unanimously elected as the Prime Minister of India.
Shastri's tenure witnessed several conflicts such as the Madras
anti-Hindi agitation of 1965 where the effort of government
to establish hindi as a sole languange and it is been resisted
by non hindi speaking states , especially Madras State.
During his period, India won war against Pakistan in 1965 and
he became a national hero following the victory in the Indo-Pakistan
War of 1965. Shastri gave the seminal ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kishan’
("Hail the soldier, Hail the farmer") slogan at Urwa
in Allahabad that later became a national slogan.
On January 11, 1966, the day after signing the Tashkent Declaration
, a peace agreement between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister
Shastri died of Heart attack.
After his death he has been honoured with Bharat Ratna award.
He became a great source of inspiration for all the countrymen
with great simplicity and honesty. Following nehru's policies
on non-alignment and socialism, Shashtri's efforts to uplift
the nation and common man in India made his name engraved in
golden letters.
(Updated on 30/5/2014)
