Lal
Bahadur Shastri
(1904
– 1966)
In this vast country of ours, people
profess different religions, dress differently and observe different customs;
but we are one nation; the history of our struggle for independence and ort
faith in our future development are our common bonds. – Lal Bahadur Shastri
Lal Bahadur Shastri was a great nationalist
warrior and Indian political leader who became the second Prime Minister of
India. He was greatly influenced by the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and
Jawaharlal Nehru and played a key role in the freedom struggle of the country.
He was sent to prison seven times and spent nine long years in various prisons
during the course of his Indian independence battle. A devout Gandhian. A man
of small stature but with a strong mental fibre. He was an example of
simplicity, altruism and impartiality. Having traits of a messenger of peace
and utmost patriotism, he had a great vision for India as a developed country.
Lal Bahadur was born in Mughalsarai, Uttar
Pradesh, a hundred years ago on 2 October 1904 to Sharada Prasad and Ramdulari
Devi. His father was a clerk in the Revenue Office at Allahabad and led a life
of straightforwardness and integrity. Lal Bahadur lost his father when he was
one years old after which he, along with his sisters, were raised by his mother
at his maternal house. At the age of 10, he moved to Varanasi for his high
school education. At the age of 17, he left school influenced by Mahatma
Gandhi’s plea to the youth of the country to boycott Government schools and
colleges, courts, and offices as part of the Non-cooperation movement in 1921.
He was arrested during the non-violence movement but later released considering
his young age. He joined Kashi Vidya Peeth, Varanasi to study philosophy and
earned the degree ‘Shastri’ in 1926. He joined ‘The Servants of the People
Society’ founded by Lala Rajat Rai to prepare the youth to devote their lives
in the service of the country. Lal Bahadur Shastri married Lalitha Devi 1927
which was a simple ceremony where he accepted only a ‘charkha’ and a few yards
of ‘khadi’ as dowry. He belonged to the ‘Kayastha’ caste; he dropped his
surname ‘Srivastava’ from his name which he believed would show his caste.
In 1930, Lal Bahadur Shastri joined
Gandhiji’s Civil Disobedience Movement and directed people not to pay land
revenue and taxes to the government. He was arrested and imprisoned for two and
half years for his involvement in the movement. In 1940, the Congress launched
‘Individual Satyagraha’ during which Lal Bahadur Shastri was arrested again and
imprisoned for another one year. Upon release, he actively participated in the
‘Quit India Movement’ by Gandhiji on 8 August 1942 demanding the British to
quit India and was arrested. He was released in 1945 along with other freedom
fighters. Lal Bahadur Shastri’s administrative talent and organisation skills
made him exceptional during the provincial elections in 1946 and was appointed
as the Parliamentary Secretary to Pandit Govind Vallabh, the then Chief
Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He was later appointed as the Minister of Police and
Transport in Pant’s cabinet in 1947. Lal Bahadur Shastri became the General
Secretary of the Congress Party during the first general elections after India
became a Republic. He was appointed as the Minister of Railways and Transport
at the Central Cabinet by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1952. He resigned from the post
in 1956 taking moral responsibility for a railway accident that happened in
1956. He became the Minister of Transport and Communications and later the
Minster of Commerce and Industry in the next general elections. In 1961, Lal
Bahadur Shastri became the Home Minister and played a key role in maintain the
internal security of the country during the Indo-China war of 1962.
Lal Bahadur Shastri addressing the
gathering on Dr. K. S. Krishnan’s 60th birthday, 1958
Lal Bahadur Shastri was unanimously elected
as the Prime Minister of India following the death of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964.
India was going through a difficult period then with huge challenges such as
food shortages and security issues with Pakistan. Pakistan attacked India in
1965; Lal Bahadur Shastri rose to the occasion and handled the crisis
competently. He led India to victory in the Indo-Pak war and Shastriji’s
leadership was applauded internationally. 10 January 1966 was an instrumental
day in the life of Lal Bahadur Shastri. It was on this day that he signed a
treaty between India and Pakistan where India agreed to return to Pakistan all
the territories occupied by it during the war and it was on the same night that
he succumbed to cardiac arrest leaving a glorious life of supreme
patriotism.
Shastriji set forth a number of measures in
view of making India a better nation and tackled many challenges such as food
shortage, unemployment, poverty, etc. during his tenure in various ministries. He
was the first Transport Minister who employed women conductors and the Minister
of Police who ordered the police to use jets of water replacing ‘lathis’ to
disperse masses. He worked relentlessly towards prevention of corruption during
his tenure as a Union Minister in 1961. His Prime Ministership showcased
effective policies in improving the economy of India. Lal Bahadur Shastri
played a fundamental role in resolving the Madras anti-Hindi agitation in 1965
regarding the language policy of India. He promoted White Revolution, the most
famous national campaign of increasing milk production by setting up the
National Dairy Development Board and supporting many dairy companies. His
efforts and support to overcome the food shortage all over India during the 22
day long Indo-Pak war of 1965 was extraordinary. He requested the people of the
country to give up one meal of the day on their own will to save food for the
people living in the affected area. He promoted Green Revolution and coined the
national slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kissan’ (Hail the Soldier, Hail the farmer) to
motivate the soldiers and farmers of the country. He had also paid keen
attention in bringing effective foreign policies such as maintaining a close
relationship with the Soviet Union, increasing the defence budget of armed
forces after the military ties of Pakistan and Chinese People’s Republic, the
Srimavo – Shastri Pact with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanks considering the
status of Indian Tamils in the then Ceylon, etc.
His life achievements as a true statesman were
awarded India’s highest civilian award, ‘Bharat Ratna’ posthumously. His life
of purity and honesty is a great source of motivation to all Indians. Unquestionably,
Lal Bahadur Shastri belongs to the race of heroes of the country and will
always remain as a glittering star in the history of India.
That loyalty to the country comes ahead of
all other loyalties. And this is an absolute loyalty, since one cannot weight
it in terms of what one receives. - Lal Bahadur Shastri
Jai Hind.
